Never Gonna Let You Go
by InuyashaPuppyDog
Summary: Thanks to an accidental wish, Kagome is forever stuck in Feudal Japan. Full summary inside. Rated M for rape and language.
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

_Summary - This story is totally separate from my others. Taking place in Feudal Japan after the fall of Naraku. Rated M for violence, rape, language. Overall dark story. Pairings: InuKag, InuKik, MirSan, SessKag, KouKag, SessKagura. Thanks to an accidental wish, Kagome is stuck in the Feudal Era. Her arguments with Inuyasha bring about other, events she never expected. Perhaps she shouldn't have gotten so angry at her hanyou._

Chapter 1

Be Careful What You Wish For

The sun shone down on the little feudal village. Villagers were busy working in their fields on this hot summer day. An elderly woman, a miko, was weeding her herb garden. Down by the stream, four young people, a child and a small cat sat on a blanket, eating and chatting, enjoying the cool breezes that blew across the mountain spring fed stream, giving a refreshing break to the humid air.

The four young people were the monk, Miroku, his new bride, the demon slayer Sango, the hanyou Inuyasha and the young, time-traveling priestess Kagome. The child was the little fox kit, Shippou and the cat was Kirara. Miroku was glad for the mid-day break after a back breaking morning of tending to his new fields. The monk and his bride had chosen to stay in their adopted village after their wedding, a decision that their friends were thankful for.

The afternoon passed lazily as the friends relaxed. With the defeat of their arch enemy, Naraku, they no longer needed to travel in search of their foe. The source of all their previous exploits, the Shikon no Tama, was now complete and hung around the neck of Kagome. Demons and humans still tried to steal the jewel for its legendary powers, leaving the hapless hanyou to continue to battle to protect it and its purifier. Not that he minded, since he had spent all his life fighting, these battles were just a way of life. And besides, to him the demons that attacked were mere small fry and barely worth his energy.

It would be easy to get rid of the jewel and all the problems it brought, by simply making a wish on it. The thing is, no one really wanted anything the jewel could offer. Even the half-demon had given up his desire to become a full-fledged demon long ago.

Miroku, Sango and Shippou continually encouraged Inuyasha to show his feelings for Kagome, the three friends knowing he cared for her deeply. Kagome had given up on ever hearing words of endearment from him, instead letting his jealousy and undying protection of her, speak for him. He was never far from her side and she was never far from his. This was good enough for her. At least for now. She knew he was still torn between his feelings for her and his feelings for the undead miko that walked in the land of the living. His life had been one of misery and she didn't want to add to that by forcing him to choose. She had decided a while back that, since she walked with him every day and the undead miko saw him rarely, she would no longer complain when Inuyasha visited Kikyou.

A few days later, Kagome was studying in the hut of the elderly miko, Kaede. She had a couple of tests coming up and she needed to cram to pass. Her mind was also on how she was going to get Inuyasha to let her go to her world for a few days so she could take her exams. She had to take them to pass this semester.

Inuyasha walked in from outside and plopped himself down crosslegged near her,

"Kagome ... can you boil some water and make me some ninja food. I'm starved."

Shippou bounced onto Inuyasha's shoulder and said,

"That sounds good Kagome. Please?"

This was her chance. "Sure, Inuyasha. I'll be glad to.", she said sweetly which caused the hanyou to get a suspicious look in his eyes,

"Ok, what's up?"

"Whatsoever do you mean?"

"You're acting too nice. What do you want?"

"To go home for a few days."

"Not more of those tests things."

"Yes. Four of them. Please?", she whined softly.

"No. Kagome, you don't need that crap here.", he said.

"Inuyasha, I need it back in my time."

"If I had my way, you wouldn't go back to your time. You'd stay here."

"Inuyasha! My family is there. I can't live here full time."

"Why not, Kagome?", Shippou piped up.

Kagome didn't really have an answer to Shippou's question, so she tried to ignore it,

"Please Inuyasha. I'll be back in 4 days. And if I'm not, you can come get me."

"I don't have much choice, do I? Fine. Whatever.", he said as he crossed his arms.

The next day, Kagome packed up to leave. Getting ready to go, she said goodbye to her friends. She didn't see Inuyasha, so she figured he was moping in a tree somewhere. If she guessed right, he'd make himself known as she headed to the well. Sure enough, as she walked to the well, Inuyasha landed softly beside her from somewhere.

"I've changed my mind. I don't want you to go.", he said brusquely.

"WHAT? Inuyasha, you can't do that to me. I have to go."

An argument ensued between them that seemed to end when Kagome ordered Inuyasha to sit, sending him crashing to the ground. As he heard her utter the word, however, he reached out and grabbed the chain that held the Shikon no Tama around her neck. Kagome was shocked at the action and before she recovered, Inuyasha commented,

"I'll hold onto the jewel so you don't get in trouble over there."

Kagome started to reach down and grab the jewel, but the spell wore off and Inuyasha was up and holding tightly to the jewel. yelling ay each other again, Kagome was ready to sit Inuyasha one more time when he yelled at her,

"Dammit Kagome, I wish that damn well would just close up forever."

Kagome started to yell something back to him when she stopped and stared. Did he just say what she thought he said? Her answer came as the jewel in his hand began glowing brighter,

"Inuyasha, you didn't just say 'I wish' did you?", she asked incredulously, even though she knew the answer as the jewel disappeared.


	2. Your Wish Is Granted

Chapter 2

Your Wish Is Granted

Inuyasha stared at his hand where the jewel once was. What had he done? What he had said, he said in the heat of anger and never meant it. As he watched, Kagome got up and jumped into the well. Instead of the bluish light enveloping her, he heard a THUD! as she hit the bottom,

"INU ... YASHA!", came a scream from the bottom of the well and a sweatdrop formed on Inuyasha's face.

"He's in for it now.", said Shippou to Miroku, hiding in the bushes.

Kagome, inhaling a deep breath, could almost be heard for miles as she yelled out,

"SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT!"

Miroku and Shippou watched helplessly as the poor hanyou was repeatedly slammed face first into the ground by the subjugation necklace worn around his neck. So hard was he slammed into the ground, that his Tessaiga came off his hip and landed a distance away.

"Should we tell him his sword flew off, Miroku?"

"Nah. He's kinda busy at the moment."

Kagome started to leave and Inuyasha managed to get out,

"Where you going, wench?"

She turned, her hands on her hips, and said,

"I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me of I'll send off some sit commands!", she yelled, as he flopped back to the ground at the word."

Kagome turned and was gone. Her head down,. she walked. Her bangs covered her eyes, but the tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, she just kept on walking. She was now in Feudal Japan forever. It's not that she minded being here, she just wanted to be able to see her family once in a while. Now, she couldn't do that. Nor could she bring back ninja treats for her friends,

"Fine, Inuyasha. That means no more ramen and potato chips for you!", she muttered to herself.

"Looky what we have here.", a voice broke her thoughts. She looked up to see herself surrounded by four bandits.

"Ain't you a sweet thing.", said one.

:And looky at the teeny kimono she's wearing. She must want some of it bad, boys."

Kagome panicked. She realized she was alone with no way to protect herself. Before she could scream, one of the bandits had a rag over her mouth as two others tied her hands behind her back. Ripping off her blouse, they began fondling her breasts roughly. One bandit grabbed her by the hair as she cried out through her gag. Two of the bandits had their pants down and her gag was removed and quickly replaced by one bandit's cock forced down her throat as she nearly gagged. Kagome's tears fell and she tried to scream, but couldn't, as the men began having their way with her. The bandit fondling her breasts, ripped off her skirt and panties and started rubbing his hand between her legs. Forcing her to swallow them, Kagome wretched and threw up. The men, obviously drunk on sake, laughed at her plight. All she could think of was,

_'Inuyasha, please, come and get me.'_

The men threw her to the ground and tried to force her legs open, but she managed to hold her legs closed. They began punching and slapping her, cursing at her, trying to get her to release her legs. A yell from behind them stopped them immediately,

"You BASTARDS! RELEASE HER AT ONCE!"

The men turned around to face their opponent, leaving a naked, crying, vulnerable Kagome writhing on the ground.

"Get away from here, demon. What concern is she of yours? She's a human girl.", said the lead bandit.

"She's my MATE, dammit! That's my concern!", said the black-haired, blue-eyed wolf-demon. When the bandits refused to back down, Kouga attacked. Not killing them, but removing them of their offending parts. As the men screamed in anguish and pain, they ran away, holding their crotches.

Kouga knelt down and gently removed the ropes from Kagome's body. Once freed, she curled up in a ball, attempting to shield herself from Kouga's eyes.

"I thought that mutt was protecting you. What a lousy job he does. Where is he?", Kouga said, sniffing the air for Inuyasha's scent and not finding it, "So, he's not here, is he?", he said smugly.

"I took a walk. We had a fight. I wasn't paying attention.", she tried to explain.

"Neither was he apparantly. Kagome, don't you realize I can protect you better than that puppy?"

_'Maybe. But I'm in love with that puppy_.', Kagome thought.

"Come, let me take you back to the den and I'll get you some clothes.", Kouga said.

"I want to go home.", she said, quietly.

"Kagome, I just saved your life. I claimed you a long time ago. You're my mate. When are you going to realize that you belong to me?"

"I belong to no one.", said Kagome.

"I'm sorry Kagome. But, I can't afford to be sweet and kind anymore. I must have a mate and I chose you. I can't wait for you to realize that dog-breath can't take care of you like I can. So I will just have to take you by force. It's my right, in the demon world.", he said, as he picked up the still crying and shocked Kagome and ran off with her to his den


	3. The WolfDemon Mating Ritual

Chapter 3

The Wolf-Demon Mating Ritual

Kouga took a weeping, naked Kagome back to his den. Passing his comrades, he laid her down on his bed. She again curled up and cried, trying to shield her naked body from the stares of the other wolf demons.

At Kouga's orders, Ginta brought Kagome some furs to cover herself with,

"Here, sis, I know it's cold in here.", he said, gently.

Kagome gratefully covered herself and recurled up into her protective ball. Scared and sore, she felt abandoned. Kouga came up to her with a bowl of water and a piece of cloth,

"Here, let me clean those wounds.", he offered, quietly, as he cupped her chin in his hand, he gently wiped the blood away from her face. After he finished, she thanked him in mumbled words and then curled up again to sleep. Or at least try to sleep. She was exhausted from her ordeal but she was afraid to sleep in the wolf den, so she pretended to be asleep by keeping her eyes shut.

Time had passed and she felt herself being shaken. It was Hakkaku,

"Sis? Are you hungry? Kouga caught a boar.", he said, excitedly. Kouga added,

"You should be pleased, mate. I found the fattest boar I could for you. I'll prepare it today because you're injured, but from now on, you'll be expected to prepare all the food I bring to you. Got it?", he said, smugly.

Kagome only heard one word from his statement, "I'm not your mate."

The wolf demons "Oooooohhh'ed" their astonishment over her bold betrayal. Their leader had claimed her and protected her, and now he offered her sustanance, and she was refusing him?

As he had promised, Kouga was through with niceties. As leader of the wolf-demon tribe he must mate and he had chosen a powerful human miko, to the disdain of other wolf demons, as his mate. To win her affections, he had tried the sweet route, but now, in front of his comrades, he must make her realize who was the boss here. He was Alpha Male and she should be grateful at being chosen as Alpha Female. Coming to her, he cupped her face in his fingers and made her look at him. In a dry whisper, he said,

"I won't beat you for that comment since you are still suffering from your injuries at the hands of those bandits. But, keep it up bitch and you will see my wrath."

Kagome looked into his ice blue eyes. Even though his words were rough, she still saw gentleness in his eyes. He did not see the same in hers. Her gaze burned in defiance. She wasn't property. Anyone's property. Least of all, his. Not happy with her gaze, he pushed her face away in anger. He would show her. Tonight would be the mating ceremony and the whole tribe would know she belonged to him, whether she wanted to or not.

Hakkaku and Ginta offered her some of the boar, including, what they considered the best part, the liver. She looked at it in disgust. It was raw. How did they expect her to eat raw boar meat? Hakkaku noticed her face,

"What's wrong sis? Aren't you hungry?"

She looked at him. Hakkaku and Ginta were always sweet to her. Softly, she commented, "It's raw. I'm human. I don't eat raw meat."

Ginta offered to cook to the meat,

"I don't really know how, sis, but I'm willing to learn."

Kagome got up and skewered some meat on a stick. She then placed it in the fire. Keeping an eye on it, she turned it every so often, until the meat turned brown. She then removed it from the fire and began daintily chewing on it. Kouga watched the whole thing and commented,

"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?"

She looked at him, "What purpose?"

"Raw food is better for you. Alot of the best part dripped into the fire."

"Not much was lost."

Kouga smiled at her, but she didn't return the gesture. _'Damn_!', he thought, '_I'll still have to force her_.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha nervously twitched from his spot in Kaede's hut.

"Inuyasha, it's been a while. Why don't you go find Kagome?", Sango suggested, as Kirara mewed her agreement.

Inuyasha didn't react. He just sat there, fidgeting.

"Sango's right. She may be in danger, Inuyasha.", added Miroku.

Inuyasha still didn't move, except for a twitch in the ears.

Miroku sighed and looked at Sango,

"Hard-headed hanyou!"

"Who you callin' hard-headed, monk? I just don't feel like going after her. After all those damn 'sit' commands she gave me! Let her go! See if I care!"

"Idiot!", muttered Shippou, which earned him a nasty BONK! on the head from Inuyasha.

"And hot-headed.", mumbled Sango

"Mew", Kirara agreed.

Kaede walked in. She had heard the conversation from outside her hut and decided to act,

"Inuyasha, you ungrateful dog. You made yon girl angry by accidentally wishing the well to close, am I right?"

Inuyasha just looked at her. But, his fidgeting stopped.

"Go after her. Apologize. She's here now for the rest of her life. As I see it, you can make her life miserable or you can make her life pleasurable. What will it be, Inuyasha?"

"HMPH!", was all he said, as he crossed his arms into the sleeves of his hitoe and turned his nose up in the air. Sniffing, he picked up a scent he hadn't paid attention to before. Blood. Human blood. Faint, but human. Sniffing deeper, his eyes opened wide,

"What is it, Inuyasha?", said Miroku.

Inuyasha said nothing as he dashed out of the hut and into the forest.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wolves began celebrating after their meal. Their leader would be mated tonight. Kouga thanked them all for coming and told Hakkaku and Ginta to bring his mate to him. Doing as they were told, they entered the cave,

"Come on sis, it's your big night."

"Yea, you will be mated tonight to Kouga."

"I'm not going.", she said, resisting their attempts to pull her along with them. Knowing they had to bring her, Hakkaki picked her up and carried her over his shoulder out to Kouga. Placing her on the ground next to Kouga, she tried to get away, but Kouga held her firmly,

"Tonight there will be no turning back. You will be mine.", Kouga said to her, as she looked into his face with a mixture of defiance and fear.

As the other wolves quieted down, Kouga ripped her furs off of her, putting her on full display to the tribe. She screamed a short scream and tried to hide herself, but Kouga held her arms firmly stretched out,

"This is the new mother of the tribe. She will be Alpha Female and you will pay her the same respects you pay me. Our first born son will be the new leader of the wolf-demon tribe - he will be my heir.", he announced to the gathered demons.

The murmers from the gathered wolves could be heard,

"She's pretty. Nice body."

Kouga pulled a shivering, frightened Kagome close to him as he rubbed his hands over her body,

"Tonight you will belong to me.", he said, as he grabbed her hair and exposed the delicate area where her neck and shoulder joined.

Kagome began to cry and begged him to let her go, but he refused, and with one swift movement, Kouga's fangs pierced the skin there. Kagome screamed out in pain, struggling to get free, to no avail. He showed the bloody mark off to his tribe and then he, himself, undressed as the wolves cheered. Kagome could only stare in shock at what was happning. Why was he getting undressed now?

Kouga made a hand movement and told her,

"That, mate, is the wolf signal for a female to get into position.", he told her, doing the movement again.

Kagome stared. '_What? What position_?' Her thoughts were answered when Kouga forced her to her knees. Kagome was in too much shock to register exactly what was happening. The wolves were cheering. She was on her knees and Kouga was behind her. '_Wait. Was he going to mate her here? In front of the other wolves?'_ Those thoughts were answered as she felt something hard and huge get shoved deep inside her tiny body, ripping her wide open, in one solid movement. Her eyes opened wide and her mouth let out a blood curdling scream as pain racked her body.


	4. Here He Comes To Save The Day

Chapter 4

Here He Comes To Save The Day

Inuyasha ran into the forest and out the other side into the meadow. The scent of blood was becoming more distinct, more disgusting, even though it was not overpowering. Coming upon a small stream, his heart did a somersault in his chest. There on the ground lay the remnants of Kagome's school uniform. Sniffing the ground he differentiated between the scents,

"This is Kagome's blood. And some humans. Male. A few. Maybe three at least.", he said to himself. The next scent kicked him in the solar plexus. It was just a scent. No blood. But, it was who the scent belonged to,

"Kouga! He has Kagome!"

Following the wolf's scent, Inuyasha sped through the night, hoping against hope that Kagome was not seriously injured. He didn't know what had happened back there, but he assumed Kagome had been attacked and Kouga rescued her. But, why didn't he bring her back to the village?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome was curled tightly into a ball while her "mate" slept soundly beside her. Tears streaked her face, her eyes were red and puffy and her stomach ached. Numerous times that night she had vomited until all she had left inside her was dry heaves. Kouga had mated her numerous times after the once in front of his comrades, where they cheered him on to his climax. His kisses were as rough as his hands and all he cared about was his needs. He had made it clear that it didn't matter where or when, if he commanded her into position she had better obey or suffer the consequences.

All this time, her thoughts remained on her hanyou. No. He was hers no longer. Kouga had made that clear, too. Once marked, a demon mate is owned until death. Once he said that, she knew she wanted to die to escape this torture. She started to get up, hoping she could escape from this horrible place. Kouga sensed her movements,

"Where are you going?", he asked, roughly.

"Can I get something to drink and go to the bathroom?", she asked, wondering if her plan would work now.

"Ginta! Wake up.", Kouga ordered his friend.

"Hu huh?", Ginta said, sleepily.

"Get up!", Kouga hissed, "Now."

"What is it Kouga?"

"Escort Kagome to the river so she can get a drink and go to the bathroom."

"Right, Kouga. Come on, sis.", Ginta told her as she followed. Maybe she could get away from Ginta. She still formulated her plan.

Kneeling down to sip the water, Kagome took her time, splashing her face and drinking deeply from the cold mountain spring.

"Ginta?"

"Yea, sis?"

"Would you mind turning around? I really feel dirty and I would like to bathe real quick. I don't think Kouga would want you to watch me bathe.", she said, as sweet as sugar.

"Uh, sure sis. I guess I can do that.", he said, turning his back to her.

Slipping out of her furs, Kagome slipped into the ice cold water. She quickly went underneath to acclimate her body to the cold. Quietly and purposefully, she swam to the other side of the stream, intending to get out and run.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha came upon the stream and was immediately hit in the face by the smell. The smell of mating. Kouga's scent and Kagome's scent mixed together. He felt his anger rise as he clenched his fists. How dare she betray him! He jumped into the tallest tree and sat there planning his next move. He knew he was outnumbered, he could smell the many wolves inside the den. But, he also smelled salt. Tears.

"Kagome's crying.", he realized.

He thought back to one of many conversations he had had with Kagome,

_"Not that it's any of your business, but Kouga's not my type, ok?" _

Had the wolf forced her to mate? He had witnessed wolf mating rituals in many of his travels. They were brutal and barbaric. Senior male wolves, proud of their mates, mated them for the first time surrounded by their comrades. Female wolves accepted this ritual, but when it was a human female or another demon female, they were not ready for this display of machoism. That was why he considered them nothing more than wild animals and had always tried to get Kagome to stop flirting with Kouga and leading him on.

Still trying to decide how best to get his Kagome back without putting her in the middle of an all out war, he was pleasantly surprised to see her come out of the cave followed by Ginta. Ginta? He watched her and listened to her voice. She didn't sound scared or nervous. She sounded sweet and innocent. Was he wrong? Did she want to be there? Well, he didn't care. He would take her back, by force if necessary. She belonged to him!

Jumping to the ground as quiet as a cat, he approached the stream. Kagome was swimming to his side. As she got closer, he saw the bruises on her face and body. And he saw the demon mark on her neck.

'_Damn_.', he thought. He knew what the demon mark meant. The only way for the bond to be broken now was through death. Kouga had to die if he wanted to be allowed to mate with Kagome, ever. Wait. Did he just think that? He had never thought of Kagome in that way before. Why did that come to mind now?

Kagome turned around and saw that Ginta was paying no attention to her. Turning her attention back towards the bank, she stopped dead, inches from safety,

"Inu...Yasha?", she whispered, happily.

He hushed her and helped her out of the stream, handing her his hitoe to cover up. She hugged him for dear life and whispered,

"I'm so glad to see you."

"Are you ok, Kagome?", he said softly, concern in his voice.

Feeling the tears flow, she simply nodded. It was the truth. Now that Inuyasha was here she would be ok.


	5. The Fight For Kagome

Chapter 5

The Fight For Kagome

Kagome informed Inuyasha of what he was up against. Not that he needed her to tell him. He could smell the many wolves in the den. They didn't bother him. What did bother him was Kouga. He knew Kouga's strength already and when a demon was battling a rival for a mate, his strength grew by leaps and bounds. He knew that his fight with Kouga would be like battling 10 demons.

Sure, he could take the coward's way out and simply Wind Scar the cave, killing all that slept inside. Except for the Alpha Female, all other females and pups were kept in another den for safety, so he knew he would destroy only the males. He didn't fight that way, however. He didn't believe in attacking when his opponent was off guard. He was pretty sure, from previous encounters with Kouga, that Kouga would fight fair. Just the two of them in hand to hand fighting. Feeling confident about this, Inuyasha leaped over to where Ginta was sitting. Kagome's protector had fallen asleep!

Shaking him slightly, Inuyasha waited for him to awake. Slowly, Ginta opened his eyes,

Oh, Hi Inuyasha.", Ginta said, then, "INUYASHA!", he said, as he realized who was standing in front of him. Looking around him wildly, he couldn't find Kagome,

"She's safe, Ginta. She's in the forest. She's waiting for me.", Inuyasha said to him.

"But, Inuyasha. You know demon rules, even if you are a half-demon. She's Kouga's now. He marked her. Mated her."

"Against her will. You're right, I am a half-demon which means I'm also half-human. I don't give a damn about the demon ways. I can take her away from here and not give a damn about any so-called consequences. But, being half-demon, I also know the demon honor and I'll uphold that. I'll fight Kouga for her."

"But, Inuyasha. It's a fight to the death now."

"I know that. Go get Kouga.", Inuyasha demanded.

Ginta ran into the cave. A short while later, out came Kouga, followed by his comrades.

"What's this I hear, puppy? Where's my Kagome?"

"She's safe. From you, that is. If it's a fight you want, I'll gladly take you on."

"Run along home, puppy. I'm not interested in a one-sided fight. Bring Kagome to me and I'll forget this ever happened and I'll leave your skin on your bones."

"Huh. One sided, eh? We'll see about that. Kagome's leaving with me tonight."

From up in a tree where Inuyasha hid her, Kagome listened to Inuyasha's bravado. He still wanted her? Even after everything that had happened?

Kouga jumped down from the cave entrance and walked towards Inuyasha,

"You asked for it, puppy. Let's get this over with and I'll take Kagome back inside and mate with her in celebration of my victory over the mutt."

This statement got Inuyasha's blood boiling. If he wasn't riled up before, he was now,

"I've told you before and I'll tell you again,", Inuyasha said as he cracked his knuckles and started his attack, "She's not your property!"

Kouga dodged the slice as Inuyasha landed on all fours and turned around. What he saw was a blur coming at him. Even without jewel shards in his legs, Kouga was still quick. Inuyasha did a backflip, using his right hand to bounce off the ground and get further away. This went back and forth, Kouga and Inuyasha slicing and dodging, every now and then getting a good cut in on the other.

Kouga managed to slice a cut into Inuyasha's shoulder, sending him writhing in pain for a brief moment. Recovering, Inuyasha filled his fingers with his blood and sent it flying,

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"

A couple of the blood splatters hit their mark, tearing into Kouga. It didn't faze him. The battle drew out, well into the dawning if the sun. Claws, fangs, blood. The two rivals were relentless in their battle, but, it was clear, Inuyasha was on the losing end. Panting and bloody, at times he could barely stand, and at those times, Kouga would rush him, forcing a move out of Inuyasha, which was usually a dodge to avoid the deadly wolf claws.

Kagome could stand it no longer, and she climbed down from her spot in the tree. Running through the water, she headed for Inuyasha,

"Kouga. Stop. Now. Can't you tell he's injured?", she cried out. She had Inuyasha's hitoe and she knew that was part of the reason he was having difficulty. Without his armor, he was vulnerable.

"Kagome! Stay out of this.", Kouga told her, "It's between me and him. He knew this when he offered to take me on. He knew it was to the death."

"Kagome, you heard him. Get outta the way. This is finished here and now. Unless you want to go back and be his mate?"

She shook her head and clutched her hands to her chest.

Kouga took advantage of Inuyasha's temporary distraction of making sure Kagome was out of harm's way. Rushing him, Kouga grabbed Inuyasha as Inuyasha attempted to flip out of the way. His slice took a section out of Inuyasha's stomach. Inuyasha laid there bleeding and unable to move, the wind knocked out of him. Kouga stood over him and gloated,

"Finished already, mutt-face?", he said, as he heard Kagome start crying loudly.

Inuyasha looked out of the corner of his eye as he held his wound. He could feel the blood pour out of him. He could feel himself getting cold. He could hear Kagome's anguished cries. He saw a glint of silver in the morning light and realized it was a sword. Kouga's sword, the one that he carried but never used. It was now held high,

"I will have your head now, puppy. And Kagome will be mine forever."

Kagome screamed as Kouga began to swing his sword,

"INUYASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


	6. Death of a Foe

Chapter 6

Death of A Foe

Blood gushed everywhere as the world echoed with Kagome's scream of her lover's name. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Inuyasha up on his feet, twisted at the waist, his hand plunged deep inside Kouga's midsection. Kouga slowly fell to his knees as shock registered on his face. Inuyasha removed his hand, blood dripping onto the ground as Kouga placed his left hand over his wound and slumped forward. Inuyasha unsheathed the Tessaiga,

"How do you want to die, Kouga? Through the gut or should I take your head?", Inuyasha said calmly.

"No. Inuyasha please don't kill him.", Kagome pleaded.

"I have to, Kagome. It's demon code of honor. If you want to be with me, your mate has to be dead."

"But's he's not my mate. He may think so, but you and I both know better."

"You're marked Kagome. You cannot have another mark unless Kouga's dead.", he insisted.

"Let him kill me, Kagome. It is a far better fate than shame at having been defeated by a half-breed and let to live."

"Inuyasha, please, you're not a murderer. I don't care about demon honor. You're a half-demon, not a full-demon, so you shouldn't care about demon honor either. Think about YOUR honor and YOUR conscience."

"Kagome, what he did to you...", Inuyasha pressed on,

"Won't change if he's dead."

"I must avenge you and your honor."

"You have. You've beaten him. As far as I am concerned, I'm free to go back to the village with you."

Inuyasha looked at Kouga. Kagome was right, he had no reason to kill Kouga. Demon code or no demon code. Resheathing his sword, he walked away from Kouga, over to Kagome. Kouga just stared at him,

"I have no right to live. You should kill me.", he said, almost pleadingly to Inuyasha.

"No, you're right Kouga. I've done worse than kill you. By beating you in front of your comrades and letting you live is more of a punishment than death. Your position as leader is in jeopardy now."

Kouga could only stare as Inuyasha knelt down for Kagome to get on his back and he disappeared into the forest.

After Inuyasha left, one of Kouga's comrades smiled a sinister smile. Kouga's shame would work to his advantage for his ambition of becoming the new tribe leader.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miroku wiped the sweat from his brow as he hoed the weeds from his garden. So early in the morning and already so hot. Shippou and Sango were helping out by pulling tassles off of the corn to allow them to finish ripening. Sango had spent the earlier part of the morning with Shippou picking berries and grapes. She made the family delicious blueberry pancakes from a recipe that Kagome had given her. Now the family was trying to get their chores done before the day got any hotter.

"Hey Sango, where do you think Kagome and Inuyasha are?", said Shippou in a worried tone of voice.

"I don't know, Shippou. I hope Kagome is alright. They've been gone since yesterday afternoon.", said Sango.

"Inuyasha's with her. I'm sure she's fine.", Miroku added, and then, "See, here they come now.", he said, motioning over towards the hill where the hanyou was walking up with Kagome on his back.

They watched as Inuyasha took Kagome inside Kaede's hut. Shippou jumped down and ran over to the old miko's hut and entered,

"Inuyasha! Kagome! You're back!", he shouted, and was quickly, "SHHHHH'd", by Inuyasha,

"Kagome's asleep. Let her be.", Inuyasha commanded in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Why is she in your hitoe? Where's her clothes?" What's wrong with her?", Shippou asked, nervously.

"Runt! What part of SHHHHH! don't ya understand? Now get out and let her sleep.", Inuyasha said, as he picked up the little kitsune and flung him out the door.

Leaving the hut, he went over and sat down by Kaede. She had said nothing when he walked by with a sleeping Kagome on his back, but now she figured was the time to talk,

"Is young Kagome alright?"

"I dunno, Kaede. She was attacked by bandits who tried to rape her and that wolf demon, Kouga, rescued her, but, he forced her to become his mate."

"Oh my. The poor child. She wasn't ready for that, I know."

"That's not the worst of it."

"Oh?"

"Kaede, she's pregnant."

"You can tell that so early?"

"Yes, by her scent. I need you to be there with her, Kaede. For her. In case she wants to talk. She might not want to talk to me."

"Does she know? Did you tell her?"

"No, not yet. I'll leave that for you. When you do tell her, let her know I didn't feel right breaking the news to her."

"You should tell her that yourself."

Inuyasha simply rested his head on his hands and whined a soft, "Hmm."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kouga was laying in his bed, recovering from his wounds. Except for Ginta and Hakkaku, the rest of the tribe avoided him. All, that is, but one. Rokin was slowly sharpening his blade and, every now and then, he would cast a glance over towards the wounded wolf. When Ginta and Hakkaku left their friend to go and get him some water, Rokin took his chance. Standing up, he walked over to where Kouga lay in pain,

"Kouga.", he said in a commanding voice.

Kouga opened his eyes and looked at his comrade.

"You know full well that I am next in line for leader of the pack when you die, right?"

Kouga said nothing. He already knew where this was going. No more words were needed. Actions were enough, as Rokin swiftly and quietly took Kouga's head.


	7. What's Fate Got To Do With It

Chapter 7

What's Fate Got To Do With It

Kagome slept fitfully through the night. Inuyasha sat close to her, unable or unwanting to sleep, lest she needed him. In her dreams, she was still haunted by what had occured and, more than once, had called out his name as if searching for him. He would then touch her arm and whisper to her, telling her he was there. That she was safe. Inuyasha felt deep pangs of guilt. If only he hadn't let her go without following her, if only he had been there to protect her, if only he had not wished the well closed. If only. If only had become the story of his life now.

Kagome remained quiet over the next few days, either staying in Kaede's hut with Shippou or walking around the village. She refused to stray too far, never going further than where Inuyasha could pick up her scent. That distance was not far, as the hanyou was constantly beside her or in a tree not 5 feet from her. As he figured, she didn't talk to him about what had happened, but the comfortable silence between them seemed to be enough for her. He was with her. Beside her. That's what mattered.

Working on some herbs alone in the hut one evening, Kagome was trying to pass the time. Inuyasha was busy helping some villagers repair their homes after a demon had attacked that day. At Kagome's urging, he went out to hunt, winding up further from the village than he cared to, but wanting to bring back a kill for Kagome. While he was gone, a bear demon had attacked. Nobody was killed, but, since it took him a bit longer to arrive at the village because of his distance, the demon had damaged some huts. As she worked steadily, Kaede walked in,

"Aye, child, you're nearly finished with that. I'm glad to see it.", Kaede said.

Kagome must have been in a daydream, because she said, "Oh, Kaede, it's you. Gee, I didn't realize how much I had done.", she said sheepishly.

"Kagome, I must to talk ye, child. Do ye have a moment?", Kaede asked.

"Sure, Kaede. What is it?"

Kaede heated up some water to make some tea. As she stirred the liquid, she spoke,

"Inuyasha told me what happened with Kouga."

"Oh, I see.", said Kagome.

"He also told me that, well, child, ye are with child."

Kagome's head shot up as she looked at Kaede with wild fear in her eyes,

"What did you say?"

"Ye are with child, young one.", Kaede repeated.

Kagome stared at the ground. She was pregnant. With Kouga's child. She felt her body shake again with uncontrollable sobs.

"Kagome. I can brew you a tea that will take care of everything for you.", Kaede said softly, "Don't you worry about a thing."

Kagome looked at the old miko. She knew what she meant about taking care of everything. A form of birth control that medicine women and mikos knew about, but didn't discuss with others. Kagome nodded glumly. Kaede didn't have to tell her this was something not be spoken of to anyone.

Kaede brewed the tea and handed a cup to Kagome. Kagome just stared at it. She wasn't sure of what she should do. Kaede got up to leave, thinking the young miko wanted to be alone with her thoughts,

"I need to go check on one of the villagers. She's been quite ill lately. I shall return.", Kaede said as she walked out through the bamboo door.

It wasn't too long after she left than Inuyasha popped in, and quietly sat down near Kagome. He saw the cup of tea in her hand and from the smell of the ingredients, he guessed what the tea was for. His mother used to brew it for village women, saying it cured "women's problems". It wasn't until later that he learned that "women's problems" translated into unwanted pregnancies. He had expected Kaede to brew her such a tea.

"So, you gonna drink that stuff or just stare at it all day.", he cracked, but when she shot him a sad look, his ears drooped in regret.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yea?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?", he said, gulping down a lump in his throat.

"That I was pregnant."

Inuyasha just looked at the ground, "I'm sorry.", he mumbled, "I didn't know how to tell you."

Kagome shrugged, "It's ok, I guess. Kaede brewed me this tea ...", she started to say, then, realizing what she was saying, stopped in mid-sentence and just looked at Inuyasha.

"Don't worry. I know what it is. I was hoping Kaede would make it for you."

"So you want me to drink it?"

"You mean you don't?"

"I don't know, Inuyasha. I'm not happy that this is Kouga's baby, but, it didn't ask to be made. It didn't have a say. And it IS a hanyou."

Inuyasha looked thoughtfully at Kagome. This sounded just like her. Looking out for others before herself. Trying to save the world. That's why he loved her so much.

"Kagome.", he said softly.

"Do I have the right to play God and kill this baby? I didn't ask to get pregnant, but maybe there is a reason why I became pregnant."

Inuyasha could only stare at Kagome. How forgiving she was, willing to bring into the world, and care for, a hanyou child from a traumatic experience.

"Kagome. Whatever you decide to do, I'll support your choice. I promise, I won't forsake you.", Inuyasha said, softly.

They looked into each other's eyes. She could see his feelings for her in those huge, amber orbs. She could tell he was being truthful with her. He would support her, no matter what.


	8. You've Got A Friend

_**I keep forgetting to put this in .. I don't own Inuyasha and other characters created by Rumiko Takahashi or anyone involved in the Inuyasha franchise. I do own my characters however. **_

_**THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR KIND REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL!**_

Chapter 8

You've Got A Friend

Miroku had just finished his morning chores when Sango brought him over some cold mountain stream water to drink. After downing 3 cups of the cool liquid, his parched throat was beginning to feel relieved. He used the cup to douse some water over his head, soaking his hair and face. How could that felt! He wanted so badly to strip and take a dive into the cold stream that flowed past their hut.

Feeling frisky, Miroku picked up the next cup and doused his unsuspecting wife with the water, causing her to shriek in surprise. Nearly tripping over Kirara, Miroku caught her easily and swung her around in his arms. Laughing heartily, he ran for the stream and jumped in. Sango shrieked again, sucking some water into her lungs, and came up coughing and gasping for air.

Miroku continued to laugh gayly and Sango retaliated by splashing water onto the monk. This started a splashing game between the two, each splashing the other, getting closer and closer, until Miroku wrapped his arms around Sango and pulled her in for a deep, romantic kiss.

"Miroku,", she said, pulling away, "We don't have time for this."

"Aww, c'mon Sango, all work and no play makes this monk very unhappy."

"I have alot of work to do. When the baby's born, I'm not going to have much free time on my hands."

"Oh, Sango. You still have 6 months. Plenty of time to finish sewing all the blankets and clothes. A few minutes won't hurt.", he said, wrapping his arms around her again. This time she obliged and allowed herself to enjoy the embrace.

Shippou bounced into the water with a splash and called out, "Hey you guys! Stop all that mushy stuff around me."

"Shippou, we are newlyweds. We're supposed to act like this.", said Miroku cheerfully, then, "Hi, Kagome! Where's Inuyasha?"

"Kaede roped him into cutting down some rotting trees to avoid having them fall and crushing any huts. He should be along shortly.", she replied.

Sango started getting out of the stream, followed by Miroku. Kagome asked, "Sango, do you have a moment?"

"Sure Kagome. Need to talk?"

"Yes."

"Oh sure ... a few moments ago you had alot of work to do and didn't want to spend a few minutes with me, but Kagome comes along ...", Miroku chided Sango lovingly.

"Miroku!", Sango said, elbowing him in the ribs, "That's not nice."

"I'm sorry Kagome. Forgive me.", Miroku said, giving Kagome a bow.

"Kagome, let's go in the hut. I can change into dry clothes and then we can go somewhere private to talk."

"Ok. Sure Sango.", Kagome agreed.

The girls walked into the hut as Shippou said to Miroku,

"Kagome has been awful quiet since Inuyasha brought her back."

"Inuyasha probably did something stupid and she's mad at him or upset with him.", Miroku said.

"The idiot.", said Shippou.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome sat quietly in the hut while Sango changed. Sitting beside Kagome, Sango asked,

"Is everything all right, Kagome? You seem upset."

This comment started the tears flowing from Kagome as she shook her head no. Sango held her as she cried,

"Get it out Kagome. Did Inuyasha do something again? You didn't catch him two-timing with Kikyou again, did you?"

"No. No. No. It's nothing like that.", Kagome got out through sobs, "He's been great.", she said, sniffling.

"Then what has you so upset?"

"When we argued yesterday over his accidental wish, I ran away. I ran into bandits who tried to rape me, but Kouga showed up.", Kagome stopped to take a breath and wipe away some tears,

"He saved me. But then he said I was his mate and he took me back to his den.", Kagome pulled down the left shoulder of the kimono that Kaede had given her, exposing the demon mark. Sango gasped,

"He marked you. You're his property now in demon circles. Did Inuyasha kill him? He must have or otherwise you wouldn't be here.", said Sango.

"No. Inuyasha didn't kill him. He fought Kouga but let him live. Kouga was badly injured."

"That's not good. Kouga won't have much standing in the demon world now. To be defeated by a half-demon. He'd be better off dead.", said Sango.

"That's not all Sango."

"What else is there?"

"I'm pregnant by Kouga."


	9. Girl Talk

Chapter 9

Girl Talk

"WHAT?", asked a shocked Sango, "You mated with Kouga?"

"I didn't have a choice. He made me.", Kagome said, her tears starting again.

"Oh, Kagome, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you wanted to mate with Kouga. I'm so so sorry."

"S'ok."

"This just happened yesterday. How do you know already that you're pregnant?"

"Inuyasha."

"How does he know? He's a male!"

Kagome pointed to her nose, "He can smell the change in my scent."

"What are you going to do Kagome? Kaede should be able to make a drink for you."

"She already has. I didn't drink it."

Sango's eyes got wide, "Why not? Do you want this baby?"

"Sango, it is a hanyou. And what right to I have to say it shouldn't be born?"

"Kagome. I have always admired your resolve. How does Inuyasha feel about it or haven't you told him yet?"

"He knows. He said he would support me no matter what."

"But, Kagome, if you bring a child into the world and you're unwed ... the implications ...even a demon child. Did Inuyasha say he would marry you?"

Kagome looked at her shocked. Marriage? She hadn't thought about marriage. She and Inuyasha were just friends. "No.", she said, hesitantly.

"Well, demons don't technically get married, so to speak. Maybe as long as he is with you the villagers won't talk.", Sango mused, then said, "Wait, if Inuyasha knows then Kouga must know. Won't he come after you?"

"I don't know."

"After this child is born, if it's a boy, it will be Kouga's rightful heir. Your child will be the next wolf demon tribe leader."

"My child will never go near the wolves. I don't care if he is Kouga's heir.", Kagome said,defiantly.

"Either way, your child and my child can grow up together.", Sango said happily, clapping her hands together.

"You're pregnant too?", Kagome said, brightening up instantly.

"Yes! Kaede informed me yesterday after you had left to go to well. I was so excited, yet so worried about you."

"Oh Sango, I'm so sorry. Really I am."

"Don't worry about it. You're back now and I can share my news with you!" The two girls hugged tightly. Sango's news about her pregnancy made Kagome more confidence about allowing her own pregnancy to continue.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginta and Hakkaku walked along the path sadly. Upset at Kouga's death, they chose to leave the tribe rather than accept Rokin as their new leader and ally with him.

"That damn Inuyasha. Why did he leave Kouga in such a state.", saind Ginta.

"Even if he had killed him, Rokin would still be leader. Kouga died without an heir.", said Hakkaku.

"I know. I just can't believe Kouga's dead, that's all.", said Ginta.

"We should be blaming Rokin. He took advantage of Kouga. Kouga was too injured to battle. If Rokin really wanted to be leader so badly, he should have fought Kouga for it when he wasn't injured, instead of killing him when he was down.", complained Hakkaku.

"I wonder if Kagome conceived last night. Kouga could have an heir on the way.", said Ginta.

"If she did, then all of us still aligned with Kouga would be able to take Rokin down and put Kouga's heir in his place.", said Hakkaku.

"Even if he is a half-demon, he would be the rightful leader of the Eastern Wolf Tribe.", said Ginta, excitedly.

"We'll hafta find Kagome and let her know!", said Hakkaku.

"But where do we find her?", said Ginta.

"We have time. I'm sure we'll be able to locate her.", said Hakkaku.


	10. Inuyasha A FATHER?

Chapter 10

Inuyasha ... A FATHER?

Inuyasha strolled over to Miroku's hut. Kagome had told him she was going to visit Sango.

'_Probably to talk_.', Inuyasha figured.

As he reached the small patch of farmland that Miroku now owned, he saw Miroku and Shippou in the field, picking weeds,

"Hey Miroku!", he called.

"Inuyasha!", called back Shippou, as the little fox demon hopped over to Inuyasha and up onto his shoulder.

"Hi Inuyasha.", said Miroku.

"Is Kagome here?", he asked, even though he knew the answer to the question, because her scent said she was.

"Yes, she's inside talking with Sango.", said Miroku.

"What did you do to her, Inuyasha?", asked Shippou angrily.

"Whaddya mean what did I do to her?", Inuyasha asked.

"He means Kagome is very upset right now and he's wondering if it's because of something stupid you did.", answered Miroku.

"Yea, Inuyasha, you idiot, what did you do?", repeated Shippou.

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!", Inuyasha growled as he picked up the kitsune and threw him into Miroku's arms, "I didn't do nuthin' to her, runt."

"Then what's wrong with her, Inuyasha, do you know?", asked Miroku.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now, ok?", Inuyasha said, irritated.

"Oh hi, Inuyasha.", came Sango's voice.

Inuyasha looked up and saw Sango and Kagome come out of the hut,

"Did Kaede tell you, Inuyasha?"

"Tell me what?", he asked.

"Miroku and I are going to have a baby!", she said excitedly.

"Really? Well, Miroku, I see your finally gonna get the child you've been asking women to bear for you for years now. At least it's Sango having it.", cracked Inuyasha sarcastically.

"Yes, I am finally getting my wish. Hopefully, this one will be the first of many.", Miroku smiled as looked up into the heavens as if in prayer.

"Let's just get through this one first.", said Sango.

"Sango, I'll talk to you later. Let's go, Inuyasha. Shippou, are you staying here or coming with us?", asked Kagome.

"I'm gonna go play with Yuki for a while. I'll be back at the hut for dinner.", said Shippou.

"Suit yourself, runt.", said Inuyasha, as he started to walk back to Kaede's hut with Kagome.

When they were alone, Inuyasha queried,

"May I ask what you and Sango talked about?"

"I told her what happened and that I'm pregnant.", said Kagome.

"So, are you gonna keep the pup?"

"I think so. If you'll help me. I can't raise this child alone.", said Kagome, thoughtfully.

Inuyasha stopped and looked at her, "I'll help you, Kagome."

Kagome smiled at him, "Thanks Inuyasha.", she said as she hugged him, catching him off guard. Recovering quickly, he put his arms around her. Inhaling her fresh, sweet scent, he relaxed in her arms. He could easily get used to this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miroku, Kagome is pregnant.", said Sango as she prepared dinner for her husband.

"WHAT? By who? Not Inuyasha?"

"No. By Kouga."

Sango went on to explain what happened to Kagome and why she was upset. Miroku was concerned,

"It's tough for a girl to raise a baby alone in these times of war.", he said thoughtfully.

"She has us. And Inuyasha.", said Sango.

"Inuyasha isn't exactly father material. You see how he treats Shippou. He's too immature and selfish to raise a child. And this is Kouga's child we're talking about. His arch rival in love. I just can't see him being a father, Sango."

"Miroku, she has no one else. And she said that Inuyasha would stand beside her. He promised her."

"Well, that's a start. I don't know, Sango. I feel badly for her."

"I'm more concerned about how the villagers will react. Kagome having a baby and not being married."

"She was raped by a demon. It's common, unfortunately. They respect her, they should respect her decision to have the child."

"I hope so, Miroku, I hope so."


	11. Blossom of Love

Chapter 11

Blossom of Love

The hot, sweltering summer slowly turned into the cool, colorful autumn. The final fall harvest was fast approaching, signaling the coming of winter. Inuyasha kept his promise of not forsaking Kagome by building her a small hut not far from Miroku and Sango's home. Although the two started to live together in the hut, their romance still moved slowly. It was moving however.

Kagome was going on four months pregnant when she planned a quiet picnic lunch for her and Inuyasha. Setting out a blanket by the stream, she laid out the food she had cooked. She looked proudly at the food she had prepared. Rice cakes, dumplings, boar kabobs, grilled fish, corn on the cob, pickled radish, pickled herring and apples. A feast fit for an emperor. Inuyasha soon joined her, after finishing chores that Kaede had him doing. Pulling Tessaiga out of his obi and laying it down, he flopped cross-legged on the ground,

"Boy, am I hungry. Looks good, Kagome.", he said, giving her a smile.

Inuyasha was a slow learner, but it can be said, he did learn. These first four months of Kagome's pregnancy had found him face down in the ground under the "SIT" command more times than he would care to remember,

"Girls who are pregnant are far more sensitive than girls who are not,", Kaede had told him, after his umpteenth time eating dirt, "Ye made her upset with your words. Ye need to learn to be more sensitive to her needs."

So now Inuyasha began thinking before he would make a comment. He wanted nothing more than for Kagome to be happy. He still blamed himself for all that had happened to her. If he hadn't accidentally wished on that damn jewel, she wouldn't be in this predicament right now. They chatted quietly as they ate, enjoying each other's company. After finishing his meal, Inuyasha laid down to nap on the blanket as Kagome worked on knitting a blanket for the baby. Popping open one eye, Inuyasha looked at the happily humming mother-to-be. His mind wandered to the recent conversation he had with Miroku,

_"Inuyasha, with Kagome pregnant, why don't you start letting her know how you feel about her? It's obvious to everyone around you how you feel.", Miroku had said to him._

_"Miroku, I made a promise to Kikyou. If she ever comes back and demands that I honor that promise, what am I to do? I can't also make a promise to Kagome. ", the hanyou said, his eyes sad and his ears drooped._

Yes, he had made a promise to Kikyou. A promise to go to hell with her. Yet, Kagome had stayed by his side even then, with that knowledge. So he had decided to stay by her side for as long as he could, until his fate with Kikyou was decided. Would she set him free of that promise or would she insist he keep it? Until he knew for certain, he couldn't promise Kagome anything. But, he could stay with her.

"Let's go for a walk, Inuyasha.", he heard Kagome's voice and it brought him back to reality.

"Sure.", he said, getting up and putting Tessaiga back into his obi.

The couple walked quietly, side-by-side, enjoying the colors of fall. Coming to the village dock, Inuyasha stopped. This was where he had first kissed Kikyou. Maybe this dock would hold the same magic for him and Kagome,

"Kagome?"

"Hmmm?"

"Wanna go out on the river in the boat?"

"Sure.", she said, as Inuyasha helped her into the boat and he pushed off, using the large pole as an oar.

Taking them out into the river, Inuyasha gently steered the boat as Kagome enjoyed the scenery. It was quiet and romantic. Just the two of them. This sweet afternoon went by slowly, until Inuyasha gently steered them to shore and to the dock. The sun was setting and Inuyasha again remembered his first kiss. Helping Kagome out of the boat, he pulled her into his arms. Surprised, she looked up into his eyes. The golden pools looked back at her with such a softness that she felt mesmerized. He leaned down and his lips gently touched hers in a soft, fleeting kiss.

"That was nice.", she said, quietly.

Her encouragement well taken, Inuyasha kissed her again, this time with more force, yet still gentle, as he hugged her closer. His mind cursed the previous promise held to the undead miko. He wanted Kagome. His Kagome. As they broke apart, she smiled at him. They walked back to their hut, arm-in arm, Inuyasha feeling calmer and happier than at any other time in his life.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visiting Miroku and Sango a few days later, Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou sat around the warm fire that Miroku had started. The group started playing various card games that Kagome had taught them, from Old Maid to Go Fish to Poker. Sango was seven months pregnant and very big.

"I just felt the baby move, Miroku!", Sango said, giggling.

Miroku placed his hand on her belly and started laughing as the baby kicked his hand.

"May I feel, Sango?", asked Kagome, happily.

"Of course, Kagome.", Sango said, as Kagome moved over and placed her hands on the tajiya's growing stomach,

"Inuyasha? You want to feel the baby?", Sango asked her friend.

"I guess.", he said, timidly touching her stomach.

Sango grabbed his hand and pressed it tighter, "You won't be able to feel anything touching me that lightly.", she said.

Kagome smiled as laughed as she felt the baby moving under her palm,

"I can't wait till I feel movement. You must be so happy Sango!", she gushed.

"I am! I can't wait to see the little guy. Or girl.", Sango said, happily.

Inuyasha watched Kagome. She was so happy now. Her belly hadn't started to grow much, but he knew it wouldn't be long.

Later that night, the couple laid close together in the bed Kagome had made. She happily talked about Sango, feeling the baby move and other baby things. Inuyasha realized he was glad she had kept the baby. He was a hanyou and, as such, it was unknown whether he could produce a child. At least Kagome would have a chance to experience being pregnant and all the joys that mothers go through. Something she might not experience ever again if they stayed together.


	12. Preparing for Baby

Chapter 12

Preparing for Baby

It had to be the coldest night of the year, at least so far, with a fierce wind blowing and snow drifting deep beside the huts. The old miko, Kaede, needed help getting to the monk's hut and that help came from Inuyasha, who piggy-backed the elderly woman through the snow. When she arrived, the tajiya was in the full throes of labor and the monk was pacing about nervously and praying to Buddha with all of his might.

Kaede found Sango already accompanied by Kagome, who was constantly wiping sweat from Sango's brow with a cool cloth. To keep Miroku occupied, Inuyasha convinced him to come back to his hut with Shippou and wait. The two men talked over a warm fire and tea,

"Inuyasha, I don't know if i'm really ready for this.", said a nervous Miroku.

"A little late to be thinking about that now, isn't it?"

"I always wanted a child. Many children ... you know that. It comes from not having any siblings. My mother died in childbirth with me and then my father died from his wind tunnel. Master Mushin has been my only source of guidance. What if I make a terrible father?", said Miroku.

"Miroku. I don't know what to say. I never even knew my father. I knew my mother and she is all I have to go on when Kagome has her baby.", said Inuyasha.

"At least you had your mother, even for a short time.", said Miroku.

"Hmph, short in my lifetime, I guess. My mother was elderly when she died. She always wanted a grandchild. Or even a sibling for me. But, with me around, no other men would have her.", Inuyasha said quietly.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I hear from Myouga she was very beautiful.", said the monk.

"In my eyes she was perfect.", Inuyasha responded sadly.

"MIROKU!", they heard a female voice call through the heavy wind and snow. Kagome threw open the door to her hut, "You must go. Now."

"Is Sango alright?", Miroku said , worried.

"Yes. But she wants you. Go now!", Kagome urged. Miroku got up, mumbled a quick, "scuse me." and left as Kagome came inside to get warm. Inuyasha took off his hitoe and placed it around Kagome's shoulders. She gratefully placed her arms inside the warm cloth,

"What is it? What's wrong?", he asked.

"Yea, Kagome, what's up?", asked Shippou.

"Nothing. The baby was born. She had a girl. She's healthy and fine and so is Sango. I wanted him to rush because the wind is calmer than it was and I wanted him to get there before the bad wind returned. That's all.", she said.

"Ohh. It sounded like something had happened.", said Shippou.

"Don't worry us like that!", Inuyasha chided her gently.

"Well, now that that's over, I'm going back to bed.", said a sleepy fox kit as he rose and went into the back of the room where his sleeping furs lay.

Inuyasha straightened out their bed and laid down, waiting for Kagome to join him. They slept together in the same bed constantly now, always staying fully dressed, but holding each other as they slept. Their kisses had gone from sweet pecks to more romantic, pleasurable kisses. Inuyasha laid on his right side, his right arm stretched out for Kagome to use like a pillow. She laid down on her left side and wrapped her arms around him. His left hand found her growing belly. She was 7 months along and the baby was moving alot now. As he kissed her face softly, his left hand massaged her belly. The baby didn't seem to appreciate it as much as Kagome did and showed its displeasure at aiming kicks at Inuyasha's hand. Its parents would just giggle at its reaction.

As winter progressed, the snow got deeper, making it harder for Kagome to visit Miroku and Sango without help from Inuyasha. Most days found her preparing for their new arrival. The baby, being a hanyou, could now be born anytime, according to Kaede. Sure enough, about a month after Sango had her daughter, whom they had named Koi, Kagome woke up from a deep sleep,

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Wake up!", she urged her hanyou lover.

"Wha...what's up?", he said.

"My water just broke.", she said.

"What? What do you mean?", he said.

"I mean, it won't be long until the baby's born. Go alert Kaede, please."

Inuyasha got up and ran out the door to Kaede's as Shippou came over to Kagome,

"Are you alright, Kagome?", asked a concerned Shippou.

"Yes, Shippou. I'm fine. My labor is still early. I have a while yet. It will probably be later today or into the night before I give birth.", she said, reassuringly.

Inuyasha returned with the miko who examined Kagome carefully,

"Aye child, your waters did rupture. I will make you a tea that will force your labor along. Without the waters, you need to give birth a bit quicker.", she said as Inuyasha stoked the fire and added more fire wood and Kaede prepared the warm tea. Kaede fixed a cup of the tea and Kagome drank it down. She found it surprisingly sweet.

"Inuyasha. Please go and get Sango to assist me and then you and Shippou stay with Miroku until Kagome gives birth.", Kaede said.

"Ok. C'mon Shippou, let's go.", Inuyasha said as he walked out the door. A while later, Sango joined them, carrying Koi with her.

"The snow is extremely deep out there this year.", Sango commented.

"Aye. And we have had many babes born during this wicked winter. It has been harsh all around.", agreed Kaede.

By mid-morning, the tea had done it's job and Kagome was feeling the strongest pains of labor. At Sango's urging, she pushed and pushed until Kaede told her to stop,

"Hold up, child. The babe is coming out wrong.", Kaede said.

"Wrong? What do you mean, Kaede?", asked Sango, as a worried Kagome looked on.

"He's coming out feet first. I need to take him out carefully.", Kaede said. At Kaede's command, Kagome pushed gently as Kaede worked the baby free from the birth canal. After a grueling, heart wrenching few moments, the baby was free and let out it's first wail, a hearty, throat-clearing cry.

"It's a boy, child. Ye have a son!", Kaede congratulated Kagome as did Sango. Kagome eagerly brought her newborn son up to her breast to let him nurse. He had a full head of black hair, jet-black furry dog ears, and gazed at her with deep brown eyes. So mesmerized was she by her newborn, that she didn't realize Inuyasha had joined her,

"So, we have a son.", he said to her quietly.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and smiled. He had said, "WE have a son.". "Do you want to hold him?", she asked.

"He looks quite comfortable in your arms.", Inuyasha replied, nervousness evident in his voice, but Kagome insisted and she showed Inuyasha how to hold the baby. Holding the child to his chest, Inuyasha admired the newborn.

"He was born feet first. Didn't Kaede tell you?", Kagome informed him.

"No. But, it doesn't surprise me."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Isn't it just like a wolf to do things wrong?"

"INUYASHA!", she said, slapping his arm, as she laughed.


	13. A Love Realized

Chapter 13

A Love Realized (Lemon)

As spring arrived, the cherry blossoms bloomed in abundance. All the villagers were enjoying getting out into the warm sun after a very harsh winter. All the new parents would get together to introduce their new little bundles of joy to the rest of the village and this included Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome.

The villagers were never told about Kagome's experience and when they saw the chubby 2 month old child with jet black hair and dog ears, they assumed he was Inuyasha's son with Kagome's hair and eyes. Inuyasha and Kagome had chosen the name Takeshi, which meant "Fierce Warrior", for their son. They decided on the name one night, when Sango needed assistance. Kagome attempted to nurse baby Koi while she nursed their yet, unnamed son. The little boy didn't like the fact that another presence was helping themselves to HIS food so he let out a fierce growl and kicked Koi repeatedly with his tiny feet. Miroku commented,

"Wow ...he's a little fighter, isn't he?"

And the name was chosen. Today, however, his name was furthest from the truth as he giggled repeatedly while Inuyasha swung him around and threw him up in the air. Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kaede were surprised at the change in the once rough hanyou. Here he was, playing with the young child, making faces and talking baby talk to get his son laughing a hearty belly laugh that in turn would have Inuyasha laughing hard. It was evident the baby had been a good omen for him.

One late afternoon, Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting under a sakura tree enjoying the peacefulness of the day. Kagome nursed the child while Inuyasha sat beside her and watched the scene as he gently rubbed the little boy's head.

"I'm glad you decided to have him, Kagome.", Inuyasha told her softly.

Kagome looked at him. Was that a tear she saw in his eye?

"Inuyasha ... what's wrong?"

"Nuthin'. Forget about it."

"Please tell me. I hate it when you start to show emotion and then you clam up."

"It's just ... well ...it's just I still can't believe you willingly birthed a hanyou and you're feeding him and such."

"You're mother willingly birthed and fed you."

"I know. And then she died when I was still quite young. When I tried to find food I was always attacked by villagers or demons. I once followed a dog demoness who was pregnant. She was a low ranking demoness ...she couldn't turn human ... but after her pups were born I tried to sneak my way in. Even she wouldn't accept me.", his voice lowered to a whisper.

Takeshi finished his meal and Kagome burped him. Falling asleep almost immediately, Kagome laid the pup in his basket to sleep and covered him with a light blanket. Turning around to face Inuyasha, she didn't bother to close her kimono, giving him an eyeful. He blushed and turned away,

"Inuyasha?", she said, sweetly, reaching out for his head and turning him to face her, "I would have fed you if I could."

As proof, she lowered his head until it was in front of her left nipple. Pulling him closer, she encouraged him to suckle. He timidly reached out his tongue and licked the perked up nipple. Pushing herself closer to him, he opened his mouth and took in what she offered. Wrapping his arms around her, he suckled deeply, taking in what their son had left behind. Kagome couldn't help but moan softly as she ran her fingers through Inuyasha's silver locks and played with his snowy ears.

Inuyasha broke free and looked up into Kagome's eyes. They were flush with excitement. Sitting up, he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. Kagome became bolder and pushed her tongue into Inuyasha's mouth. Surprised at first, Inuyasha quickly followed her lead and the two tongues began battling for dominance. As they broke apart, both were panting at the expended energy.

Kagome removed her kimono and helped him remove his clothing. Surprising him again, she began to stroke his engorged member with her hands, enjoying the feeling of it. Inuyasha moaned at her touch, having never felt such pleasures. She leaned down and began to lick around the head as she continued to stroke. Inuyasha's moans became louder and more gutteral. The feelings he was having were beyond anything he had ever imagined. When she slipped her mouth over his member and tried to take his large member deep into her mouth (nearly gagging in the process), he lost all control. He felt the orgasm rip through his loins and explode out, filling her mouth with his cream.

He mumbled an apology and was shocked to see her wiping it off her face and licking her fingers as she smiled seductively at him. As he stared at her, she leaned up and kissed him. He kissed her back and then broke free, saying one simple word,

"Kagome."

She laid down on her back in the sakura petal covered grass and spread her legs invitingly. Following his nose, he found the origins of her arousal. Gently, he slipped his fingers down the moistened, puffed up mound, careful of his claws. Passing over a small nub, he heard her gasp in pleasure. Opening up the slit, he discovered her pearl of womanhood and he massaged it with his fingertip. Kagome lifted her hips in approval as she softly moaned his name and her hands rubbed his ears. Leaning down, his tongue flicked over the nub sending shockwaves through Kagome. Sensing her approval by her groans and by her hips pushing into him, he continued gently licking and sucking on the nub.

His fingers found their way inside her and he gently moved them in and out as he continued to lick the engorged button. Pretty soon, her hips were begining to buck up and down and she was crying out for more. As her hands grasped his hair, she cried out as her climax reached its peak. Feeling the liquid pouring out of her, Inuyasha moved down to lick up the juices and found the taste very enjoyable.

He felt her tugging his hair gently and he came up to meet her face,

"That was fabulous.", she told him sweetly.

"I didn't know a woman could have a release too.", he told her.

"Yes we can."

Kissing her deeply, he then broke free and said,

"We'll have to see how much you can take.", he said with a devious smirk.

"Try me.", she said seductively, raising her legs and wrapping them around his waist. He moaned as he positioned himself near her entrance and began to push into the tight, moist hole.

She gasped as he pushed inside. She hadn't realized when she was touching him, but she was pretty sure now, that he was longer and thicker than Kouga. Feeling him filling up her body, she wrapped herself around him. Their kisses were passionate yet slightly rough as Inuyasha began to pump inside her. Their bodies were one, wrapped tightly together, as they made love. Although Inuyasha didn't understand exactly what romance meant, he was doing a great job of keeping the mood. Not rushing, the two of them just moved together, enjoying the feeling of each other. They don't know how much time passed, but it was dark and getting cold when Inuyasha felt his climax beginning to erupt.

Getting up on his knees, Inuyasha raised her legs so that he could pump faster and deeper into her. This gave Kagome room to play with her nub, bringing her body to climax. The feeling of her body climaxing was too much for Inuyasha and he released his orgasm deep inside her. His body shook from the feeling of his orgasm, shaking almost violently,

"OH GREAT KAMI!", was all he could get out.

He laid down in her arms, both of them totally spent and sweaty. They lay that way for a while, kissing and feeling each other's body with their hands.

As the moon rose, the got dressed and carried the baby back to their hut. Shippou was spending the night with Yuki and her family, so they were alone. Inuyasha placed the baby basket near the fire that Kagome had started so that the hut would warm up and she could make a quick meal. Feeling frisky yet, Inuyasha removed his clothes to sit by the fire. His member was engorged again (or still, Kagome wasn't sure) and she smiled at her hanyou,

"Like what you see?", said Inuyasha, feeling braver and cockier now.

"Always.", she cooed.

They never had dinner. They spent the rest of the night enjoying each other.


	14. Ginta and Hakkaku

Chapter 14

Ginta and Hakkaku

Kagome and Inuyasha's love blossomed into a full blown romantic, intimate relationship after that first night. Unsure if Inuyasha could reproduce, Kagome took precautions just in case by drinking a special tea every morning before breakfast.

The family fell into a comfortable routine with Inuyasha hunting and farming and Kagome keeping a comfortable home for her two men. The villagers readily accepted their relationship, even without a human wedding ceremony. Inuyasha wanted to marry Kagome, but his promise to Kikyou still lingered over his head. Although the priestess had not shown up at the village since the death of Naraku, she was still out there.

Miroku and Sango repeatedly tried to encourage him to seek out Kikyou and put an end to the unknown. Kaede felt that Inuyasha already had a firmer committment to Kagome and that he should forget about her sister. Inuyasha felt it safer just to stay closer to the village and stay with Kagome and Takeshi. He secretly feared that if he went to see Kikyou that he may never return.

Time went by and it didn't seem to be that long before they were celebrating the 4th birthdays of Koi and Takeshi. By this time, Miroku and Sango had added to their flock, two more little ones. A little girl named Cho, now 2 and a baby boy named Yasuo, barely 3 weeks old.

Takeshi was definately a warrior's son, always playing samurai with neighboring boys. He watched Inuyasha carefully whenever Inuyasha would fight a demon that came too close to the village. He was proud of his father and his father was equally proud of him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginta and Hakkaku had spent the last 5 years since Kouga's death travelling through the forest. Kouga's allies had moved to the Northern Tribes where Ayame and the pack elders lived. Ayame had grieved deeply for Kouga and was also upset that he had actually mated with Kagome.

Ginta and Hakkaku were determined to find Kagome and see if she had conceived that night. Rokin's ways were destroying the tribe but he was too brute and fierce to be taken on. Their only hope for a takeover would be if there was a rightful heir to their beloved leader.

Word eventually came to them, as they drew closer to Musashi, about a silvery haired half demon that lived in a village not far from where they were now. Following the directions given to them by the other wolves, Ginta and Hakkaku came upon Kaede's village. There they picked up the scent of Inuyasha and Kagome. The excitedly hurried into the village.

Ginta spotted Inuyasha almost immediately,

"Inuyasha!", he called out, getting the hanyou's attention.

Inuyasha didn't like what he saw. Here was two of Kouga's followers. So where was Kouga?

"What do you two want?", he asked as he hopped over to them, "Where's Kouga? If it's Kagome's child he wants, he's not getting him."

"What? Don't you know? Kouga's dead.", said Ginta.

"Kagome had a child? Kouga's child? He has an heir.", said Hakkaku excitedly.

"What happened to Kouga?", asked Inuyasha, ignoring Hakkaku.

"One of our comrades, Rokin, took Kouga's head and became leader of the tribe the night you fought with him.", said Ginta.

"But, since Kouga has an heir, Rokin is not the rightful leader. We can overthrow him now.", said Hakkaku

"Kouga has no heir. That child belongs to Kagome and me.", said Inuyasha, harshly

"But, Inuyasha, he's the heir. He needs to be raised by the wolf tribe so he can assume his rightful place.", insisted Hakkaku.

"I SAID NO! NEVER! NOW GET OUTTA HERE!", Inuyasha growled fiercely, scaring the hell out of the boys and they ran away.

Inuyasha watched as they ran into the forest. Confident it was over, he went back to his work. In the forest, Ginta and Hakkaku sat down and devised a plan. They had to kidnap the child and take him back to the northern tribes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha told Kagome that night about the appearance of Ginta and Hakkaku and what they wanted. Kagome looked over at her little boy playing and shivered. She refused to give him up so easily.

For the next few weeks, Kagome and Inuyasha kept an eagle eye on Takeshi, never letting him go to far. Soon, the visit by Hakkaku and Ginta was just a bad memory. Although they still kept a close eye on him, he was allowed to go around the village by himself.

Later that summer, word came of a vicious attack on a northern village by a demon. The village was about a day away from Kaede's village. Inuyasha and Miroku rushed to the villagers aid. Kagome and Sango tried to keep their minds off of their men's safety by keeping busy around the house. Kagome put Takeshi down for his nap and went out to do laundry. Takeshi had other plans, however. Toddling out of his hut, he followed a butterfly that had flown into his room. No one noticed the little tyke as he wandered further away from his home. No one that is, except for two wolf demons.

As Takeshi followed the butterfly out into the meadow, Ginta approached him,

"Hi little guy. What's your name?", he asked.

"Takeshi", the little boy replied.

"Where's your father?", Ginta continued.

"I dunno.", the little boy shrugged.

"Well, I do. Want me to take you to him?"

"Sure!", Takeshi brightened up instantly.

Ginta picked up the wolf hanyou and he and Hakkaku ran as fast as they could away from the meadow and the village. They had what they had come for.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome went back inside and started fixing dinner. Then her blood ran cold. Takeshi was not in his bed. Running outside, she began screaming his name. Sango ran up to her along with Shippou,

"What's the matter, Kagome?"

"Takeshi's gone. I put him to bed and now he's not there."

"Don't worry, we'll find him.", Sango assured her.

Soon, a search party was formed and the entire village searched high and low for the child. Shippou followed his scent to the meadow, where he lost it. A group of men got on horseback to search. Kagome could only blame herself and sob uncontrollably.

Inuyasha and Miroku returned and were informed of Takeshi's disappearance. Shippou informed Inuyasha where the scent led, but by the time Inuyasha got to the meadow the scent was cold. He didn't know which direction to go in, but he had a good idea. North.

Kagome insisted on coming with him, but he refused,

"It'll be faster if I go alone.", he told a weeping Kagome.

"Inuyasha! I have nothing here. I have to go with you. I don't want to lose you too."

"You won't lose me. I'll find Takeshi and I'll be back. I promise.", he said, as he kissed her deeply and turned around and left, hopping high into the trees.

Miroku, Sango, and Shippou stood close by with other villagers.

"Good Luck, Inuyasha.", said Sango.

"May Buddha be with you, my friend.", said Miroku.


	15. The Lost Pup

Chapter 15

The Lost Pup

Ginta and Hakkaku raced on through the night. Never having feared anyone, Takeshi fell asleep on Ginta's back. They stopped only for food or to give the small pup a potty break. Never once did Takeshi question where they were headed. He thought they were looking for his father.

A few days later, they arrived at the den of the Northern Wolf tribe,

"Elder. We have Kouga's heir.", announced Ginta.

The elderly wolf came out with Ayame as Ginta placed Takeshi on the ground. For the first time, Takeshi was nervous,

"Where my papa?", he asked.

The elderly wolf said, "Your papa is dead, my child. You were being raised by your mother and a half-dog."

"Half ... dog?", the child questioned.

"You will understand when you are older. For now, Ayame will be taking care of you.", said the elder.

"What? ME? Why Grandfather?", asked Ayame.

"Because you were Kouga's rightful mate and this is Kouga's son and it is my order.", said the elderly wolf quietly as he walked back into the cave.

Takeshi began crying,

"I want my mama an' papa.", he said through tears.

Ayame picked him up and tried to comfort him, to no avail.

Another elder spoke up,

"The half-dog will be following you to bring the child back. We cannot risk that. Ayame ... you will accompany Ginta and Hakkaku to the Southern Wolf Demon Tribe. Go via the Western Lands. If the half-dog shows up, we will distract him. Kill him if necessary. You will raise the child in the south. When he is ready to assume leadership, we will bring down Rokin."

"Yes, elder.", Ayame said, taking off with Ginta, Hakkaku and Takeshi.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha ran through the night and into the next day. He ran as long as he could without stopping, pushing himself more than he ever had before in his life. Finally stopping for a drink, he leaned over the stream, cupped his hands and savored the cool water. Splashing some water over his head to cool himself off, he got up and prepared to take off again. As he sniffed the air for any trace of Takeshi's scent, he stopped. The scent he picked up was, instead, of graveyard soil and the sweet scent of,

"Kikyou.", he breathed out, softly. Turning around, he saw his undead lover.

"Inuyasha. It has been too long.", said the miko.

"Kikyou, please, I cannot stay.", he started to say.

"Why not? You promised me you'd go to Hell with me. Do you not intend to keep your promise?"

"Kikyou. Things are different now..."

"Why? Are you with my reincarnation? My replacement?"

"She never replaced you, Kikyou. Yes, we are together. And we have a son."

"A son?"

"Well, he's not mine by blood. She was raped by Kouga the wolf demon. She had his child. I'm helping her raise him. And right now, I have to find him. The wolves kidnapped him and ..."

"Enough! How charitable of you to raise another man's child. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Kikyou ... I have to go."

"No, you don't.", she said, coming closer and wrapping her arms around him. He sniffed her scent and felt himself get weak. Kikyou leaned up and kissed him. He kissed her back, losing himself.

He felt the world start to spin and get darker. What was happening? What was going on? His mind began to feel dizzy when suddenly a thought entered his mind,

_'KAGOME!'_

Breaking free of her grasp, he stared down at her. Had she nearly succeed? Another thought entered his mind,

_'Takeshi'_

Remembering why he was out there, away from Kagome, he pushed the miko away,

"No Kikyou!", he said, turning around, he ran, heading north and to the wolf demon's lair.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days passed with no sign of Inuyasha or Takeshi. Kagome tried to keep busy. As she worked on her small vegetable garden, the wind suddenly WHOOSHED around her. Holding her hands up to block the wind, she was shocked to see a woman standing there,

"Kagura! What do you want?", asked Kagome.

"I don't want anything. But, Sesshoumaru, he wants you to come to his castle in the Western Lands."

"Why?"

"Because the kid that travels with him is ill and he remembers Inuyasha talking about your medicinal ways. He wants your help."

"Sesshoumaru? Asking for my help?", Kagome questioned.

"Don't ask me why. Why don't you ask him? Either way, we have to go now."

"Let me get my things. One moment.", Kagome said , as she entered her hut. Figuring she'd be back shortly, she didn't bother to tell anyone where she was going. Leaving the hut, Kagura pulled out her feather and the two of them flew away.

Nobody noticed Kagura arrive or leave with Kagome. The villagers were busy tending to their fields and Miroku and Sango were in their hut relaxing. Kagome basically left without a trace.


	16. What Sesshoumaru Wants

Chapter 16

What Sesshoumaru Wants

Kagura and Kagome arrived at the illusterous castle. Kagome looked around. It was bigger and more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. Sesshoumaru walked out of the castle followed by his minion Jaken,

"You've returned, Kagura.", said Sesshoumaru.

"Yes. And I've brought the girl.", said Kagura.

"Good. Follow me.", Sesshoumaru ordered.

Kagome did as she was told and followed Sesshoumaru. She couldn't help but marvel at the castle,

"Keep up girl.", order Jaken, when Kagome fell behind, "Don't keep my master waiting."

"JAKEN!"

"Uh ... yes My Lord?"

"Leave her be."

"Yes, my Lord.", said Jaken a bit sadly.

Sesshoumaru led Kagome up a beautiful marble staircase. This castle was nothing like the Feudal Era Castles,

"This place is beautiful, Sesshoumaru."

"It belongs to my mother."

"Your mother? I thought it would belong to you since you are the Lord of the Western Lands.", said Kagome.

"I have no need for such things."

Sesshoumaru led Kagome to a door and they entered. Lying on the huge four poster bed was Rin. She was covered in spots and was very pale. Kagome rushed over to her,

"She's burning up with fever. I need some cool water.", said Kagome.

"Jaken!"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"You heard her. Fetch some water."

"Yes, my Lord.", said Jaken as he left the room.

Kagome took out some herbs and began to crush them with a mortar and pestal. When Jaken brought the water in, she dipped a rag in the water and rang it out, placing it on the young girl's forehead. She then proceeded to make a potion with the water and herbs.

"She's very ill. She has what is called measles. She's going to need this potion every few hours.", Kagome said, as she lifted Rin's head and helped her drink down the potion.

"Can you handle giving her the potion, Jaken?", asked Kagome.

"Me?", asked Jaken.

"You will take care of her.", ordered Sesshoumaru to Kagome.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, "She needs constant supervision. I can't stay here.", she complained.

"You will stay here and you will care for her. My guards will not let you leave.", Sesshoumaru said again. With that said, Sesshoumaru turned around and walked out, followed by Jaken. Kagome heard a click as the door was locked.

Looking at Rin, she said quietly,

"I guess I'm stuck here until Inuyasha returns. He'll get me out."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha finally arrived at the Northern Wolf Tribe den. Sniffing around, he was puzzled,

'_Why don't I pick up their scent? No Ginta. Hakkaku or Takeshi_.', he thought to himself.

"What is it you want?", he heard a voice say. The voice belonged to the elderly wolf that exited the den.

"I don't want a fight, old man. I'm looking for Ginta and Hakkaku. They stole my son.", said Inuyasha.

"He is not your son. He is Kouga's son. And he will be raised by the wolf tribe to take over as leader of the Eastern Tribe.", said the elder.

"Nuthin' doin' old man. I'm raising him. He may not be my son by blood but he's still my son. Where is he?", demanded Inuyasha.

"He is not here. And you will not find him."

"Oh yea? We'll see about that!", said Inuyasha defiantly.

"Do you plan to search the entire country, half-dog?"

"If I must, then yea. I'll keep searching until I find him."

"Then search if you must. I will not stop you. But, I promise you, you will not find him.", said the elder, turning to go back into the cave.

Inuyasha turned and left. He had to get back to Kagome. He knew she would be heartbroken but, he would promise her the same thing he promised the wolf. He would not rest until he found Takeshi.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arriving back at the village a few days later, he was surprised to see the village up in arms, searching for somebody. Shippou ran and hopped on Inuyasha's shoulder,

"Inuyasha! Is she with you?", asked Shippou.

"Is who with me?", he responded back.

"Kagome."

"No. I left her here in the village. Why?"

"Because she's missing, Inuyasha.", said Miroku, coming up to his friend.

"Missing? Whaddya mean she's missing?", asked Inuyasha, starting to panic.

"The day after you left, we last saw her working in her garden. We never saw her again.", explained Miroku.

'_Shit_!', Inuyasha thought, '_First Takeshi and now Kagome_.', "Shippou, where did her scent lead?", he asked the kitsune.

"Nowhere. That's what's strange. It stopped at the hut.", said Shippou.

"We figure who ever took her flew away.", said Sango

"Dammit!", cursed Inuyasha.

"Didn't you find Takeshi?", asked Miroku.

"No. The wolves have him hidden. How can I possibly search for both Kagome and Takeshi?", he said out loud.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Servants kept Kagome supplied with whatever she needed to keep Rin comfortable. As Rin started to recover, she was thrilled to see Kagome was there taking care of her. She gave Kagome a big hug,

"Thank you for caring for me Kagome.", said a grateful Rin.

"You're welcome, Rin. It was my pleasure.", Kagome lied. While she didn't mind caring for Rin, she did mind being held against her will.

Later that day, Sesshoumaru came in,

"Sesshoumaru. Now that Rin is feeling better, might I leave?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer her. Instead he handed her a silk bag. Kagome opened it. Inside was a pretty necklace of peach colored pearls,

"I can't accept this.", she said, handing it back to him, "But thank you."

"Put it on.", he commanded.

Kagome gave a sigh of defeat and did as she was told. She admired the necklace and said,

"It's very pretty. Thank you. Now, may I leave?"

"No, you will not. Rin does not care for Kagura, even though I have taken her as my life mate. She does, however, like you. You will remain here and care for Rin and keep her company."

"Sesshoumaru! You can't keep me here against my will! Inuyasha will come for me. He and I are mates now.", she said angrily.

"Should he show up, I will kill him. You belong to me now, as my slave. I know you come from the future and that knowledge you have will help me greatly."

"I refuse to help you.", Kagome said, crossing her arms in defiance.

"That necklace will keep you from defying me. If you try to leave the castle grounds you will receive a nasty shock. Humans don't care for pain. My mother was very skilled in creating that necklace.", he said with a smug smile.

Kagome stared at the necklace around her neck. She tried to take it off, but like Inuyasha's subjugation necklace, it wouldn't move further than her chin. She looked at Sesshoumaru and started to cry,

"Why?", she said between sobs.

Sesshoumaru simply walked out of the room, leaving Kagome to her crying.


	17. Sesshoumaru's Wish

Chapter 17

Sesshoumaru's Wish

Inuyasha said goodbye to his friends and left in search of Kagome and Takeshi. His demon speed allowed him to search areas quickly and his dog nose enabled him to try to pick up scents. His mind was determined that one day, he would find his mate and his son. The only question was when.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome spent her days roaming the castle walls and gardens. She put on a happy face whenever she played with Rin, but her mind was never far from Inuyasha and her son. Where was Inuyasha? Did he find Takeshi? Was he looking for her? She remembered how she had decided she didn't need to tell anyone where she was going, figuring she'd be back soon. Oh how she wished she had told someone that Kagura had come for her!

Sesshoumaru gave her everything a girl could want. Beautiful kimonos, delicious food, a warm bed, a fabulous onsen bath. She was living in the lap of luxury, even though she was considered a slave. Obviously, Sesshoumaru, who showered the same things onto Rin, didn't want Rin to know her caregiver was a prisoner.

Kagura was jealous of all the material things that Sesshoumaru provided for Kagome. As lifemate, she should be the only one to have all the goodies. She bitched several times to Sesshoumaru, but he would hear none of it. He had made his decision.

One night, Sesshoumaru went to his mother and asked,

"I would like you to make a spell that would give Kagome a demon's life span. Use my blood to do so.", he asked the lovely demoness.

"What does this human girl mean to you? You have a lovely life mate and she has bore you two sons. Why bother with a pathetic human?", asked his mother.

"Because she can give me the power I desire. She knows the future and I want her to live so that I can reap the benefits of that knowledge, mother."

"Is there nothing more, my son?"

"Nothing."

"Fine. Bring her to me. I will do the spell for you, my son."

Sesshoumaru ordered Jaken to find Kagome and bring her to his mother's room. Jaken found Kagome out in the garden picking daisies for her room,

"Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru wants you to come with me."

"Why?"

"Don't ask why, you stupid girl. When Lord Sesshoumaru demands your presence, you go. Now come along."

Kagome got up and followed Jaken. Arriving at his mother's room, Jaken opened the door and motioned for Kagome to enter,

"Human child...", said the woman on the throne.

"My name is Kagome. Ka - Go - Me.", she said.

"Of course. My son wishes for you to have demon blood so that you may live longer than a normal human. I have made you a potion and I want you to drink it."

"Why does he want that of me?", Kagome asked.

"He has his reasons."

Kagome thought for a minute. With demon blood, she would be able to live longer with Inuyasha and Takeshi. Her men wouldn't be alone! She had no doubts that someday, she would return to Inuyasha and her son,

"Ok. I'll drink it.", Kagome said, stepping forward. The woman handed the fancy mug to her and Kagome drank it down. It tasted horrible, but if it gave her a longer life-span it was worth it.

Sesshoumaru's mother dismissed her with a wave of her hand and Kagome left. Returning to the garden, she picked up her discarded daisies and went back to her room. As she was putting them in a vase, Rin came skipping in,

"Hey Kagome, can we play that game you taught me, hopscot?"

"You mean Hopscotch? Yes. We can go play."

They spent the afternoon playing and then went in for dinner. Afterwards, Rin went up to bed. Kagome took a nice hot bath and allowed her mind, as she always did, to drift to Inuyasha. She missed him so!

She went into bed and fell asleep, still thinking about her lost hanyou.

The next morning, Kagome awoke and she felt strange. Getting up out of bed, she stretched. Something didn't feel right. Walking over to the mirror, she stared at her reflection. Last night, a perfectly normal human stared back at her. Now a hanyou was in her place.

Her hair, once jet black, was now tinged with blue. Atop of her head was a pair of fuzzy, black dog ears. Her eyes, once brown, were now a soft golden color. Her mouth had small fangs and her hands had claws, smaller than Inuyasha's, but still claws. The spell had worked! She was a hanyou!

"Kagome?", a small voice called. It was Rin. "What happened to you?"

"I'm not a human anymore, Rin. I'm a half-demon. Thanks to Sesshoumaru and his mother."

"WOW! I wanna be a half-demon too!", she said excitedly and ran out the door calling, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru, where are you?"

Kagome looked again at her reflection. She couldn't understand one thing. Sesshoumaru despised Inuyasha for being a half-demon and sharing their father's blood. So why did Sesshoumaru share HIS blood with her and turn her into the one thing he despised? Shaking her head, she finished getting dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.


	18. Sesshoumaru's Darkness of Heart

Chapter 18

Sesshoumaru's Darkness of Heart

Inuyasha couldn't believe that after four months of searching, he still had found no trace of Kagome or Takeshi. Every now and then, he would return to the village, under cover of night, to see if their scents had reappeared. He chose to only visit at night, when Miroku, Sango and Shippou were asleep. He knew they were worried enough as it was, he didn't want them to worry more when he would return alone.

What he didn't understand was that they were wishing he would make an appearance and fill them in on what was happening, or not happening, as the case may be. The waiting and wondering and not knowing was driving the friends insane.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During those four months, Kagome's life had begun to turn hellish. She was still considered Rin's keeper, but now Sesshoumaru seemed to have darker, more sinister plans for her. Late one night, after Rin had gone to bed for the night, Sesshoumaru had returned to visit. He rarely stayed in the castle long, as he needed to keep patrolling the Western Lands to defend them. This night, however, found Sesshoumaru visiting his family.

Kagome didn't know why Sesshoumaru came into her room originally that night for she hoped it wasn't for the reason that occurred. Sesshoumaru had opened her door and walked in, shaking her roughly awake,

"Kagome. Wake up. Now.", he had ordered.

"Why? It's late? Is Rin up?", she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"No. But, you are still my slave and I demand you get up."

"Sesshoumaru, what could you possibly want at this time of night?", asked a sleepy Kagome.

"Do not question me on what I want or desire, wench.", he ordered and she felt his hand around her neck, choking her and then releasing her. She coughed and sputtered, trying to get her breath.

Sesshoumaru climbed on top of her and began using his vine whip as a rope, tying her up with her arms behind her back. She felt the burn of the poison, but was surprised it didn't appear as strong as normal. Still partially asleep and in shock over what was happening, she never really fought back.

Sesshoumaru sliced through her clothes as easily as a hot knife through butter. There she was, naked, vulnerable, bound, and terrified of what he had in store for her. What he had in store for her was sheer terror. She watched in horror as he slipped out of his clothes and stood there naked before her. She started to cry and beg to be released and that only made matters worse.

Forcing open her mouth, he pushed his member inside her mouth and grabbed the back of her hair. Forcing himself deeper into her throat, she gagged and started to throw up. This only made him angrier,

"Pathetic human. No ...you're not human anymore. You're a hanyou. A pathetic hanyou.", he commented as he forced her to suck him.

Her mouth and jaw hurt from from the forcefulness and from his size. Just when she thought she would gag again, he removed himself and flipped her onto her knees. As she begged for him to stop, he pushed his entire hand inside her moist cunt. Fisting her roughly, she cried louder, her sobs filling the room. He then entered her from behind and shoved his cock deep inside her. As he was doing so, he shoved first two, three, then four fingers up her anus, making her scream louder in pain.

This continued throughout the night, with Sesshoumaru raping her numerous times. She lost count of the times he climaxed his seed onto her and started anew, his assault on her body. By morning, she would be freed and ordered to bathe. As she laid in the tub, her sobs started again and she cried out for Inuyasha to come and rescue her.

But he never did. As the months went by, the nightly rape only stopped when Sesshoumaru was out patrolling the lands, and even that didn't always bring and end to it. Sometimes, he still showed up, the pinkish bubble appearing in her room late at night. Her life became a routine of caring and playing with Rin during the day (and having to look like she wanted to be there, lest she upset Rin), and becoming Sesshoumaru's sex slave at night.

She quickly learned that disobedience would not be tolerated. Trying to fight back one night, Sesshoumaru ordered his demon guard up into her room. 10 of them. He ordered them to have their way with her while he watched her humiliation. All 10 took turns at her and then they didn't wait for turns. They decided to see how much she could take, as they stuffed every hole she had. When one would finish, another would take his place. And they weren't careful with their claws, as she found herself sliced and bloody. Her crying and pleading fell on deaf ears as Sesshoumaru merely watched and the demon guard laughed at her predicament.

After that humiliating night, she refused Sesshoumaru no more, instead allowing him to do what he wished to her. It was far better than been gang raped by a group of demons.

She now dreaded being a hanyou. If she was a human, the attacks surely would have resulted in her death by now, especially the night she was gang raped. Instead, now she healed and her body would look like nothing had ever happened. Every night, she cried and bemoaned her fate and begged silently for Inuyasha to be alive and rescue her. Her wishes, however, went unanswered. Her life was miserable. Horrible. Her lover and son gone. Now she was alone. She only wanted now to die.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha's search had him zig-zagging back and forth across the country. He wanted to at least find a trace of her, possibly even her remains, if that was all that was left. The months went by and soon it had been a year since he last saw any trace of Kagome or Takeshi. He refused to give up, but his soul was lacking. One minute, he had everything in life, a mate, a home, a son. The next minute, he was alone. Alone again to face his miserable wretched life. Death seemed almost pleasing to him.

Retracing another path, he found himself at a familiar place. When he heard his name called, he knew why it was familiar,

"Kikyou.", he said, almost happy to see the miko.

"Inuyasha. Now why are you here?",asked Kikyou.

Inuyasha nearly ran to her arms, so lonely, depressed and forlorn was he, "Kikyou.", he said again, near tears. His soul had felt he lost Kagome. He now needed somebody. Anybody. And she was there.


	19. Their Lives Anew

Chapter 19

Their Lives Anew

Kikyou was surprised by Inuyasha's reaction. What had changed to cause the hanyou to now embrace her willingly?

"Are you ready to go to hell with me, Inuyasha?", she asked.

"No. I want to stay in the world of the living. At least for now. I've lost Kagome and my son. I can't seem to pick up any trace of them. I know my son is not dead, but Kagome ... I don't know."

"I will allow you to live for a while longer. Come stay with me in the village where I reside. We are plagued by demons and your strength would be appreciated.", said Kikyou.

His mind was screaming at him, '_NO! You must find Kagome_.', while his heart ached for her. But, it had been months without a trace. And he couldn't bear to go back to Kaede's village alone. He had warned his friends of that when he left,

_"I'll return when I find Kagome and Takeshi.", Inuyasha told Kaede, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou._

_"What happens if you don't find them?", asked the curious kitsune._

_"Then I won't return.", he said, taking off through the trees._

He didn't know whey he had ended up back in this location, where Kikyou had tried to take him to Hell again just four months earlier, but there must be a reason. The Fates work in mysterious ways. Maybe he was destined to be here. Maybe Kagome was close by and he didn't realize it. When one is depressed and lonely, one never knows what one might do.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed, until nearly a year had gone by with no word from Inuyasha. Miroku, Sango and Shippou, worried about their friends, had attempted their own search and rescue with Kirara, even sending the fire cat to visit Totousai and Myouga. No one had seen or heard from Inuyasha for a while.

"He can't be dead.", said Shippou, sadly.

"I don't believe he's dead, Shippou. I think he's still searching for Kagome and Takeshi.", said Miroku.

"I wish he'd come back and tell us what's happening.", said Sango.

"He's too hard-headed for that.", commented Shippou.

The friends tried to carry on with their lives, their hearts heavy with sorrow at the disappearance of their friends. Without Kagome around, Kaede found another young girl from a family of Shinto priests who was destined to be a Priestess. No where near as strong as Kagome and especially not as strong as Kikyou, Lady Juri was still a passable priestess. Lady Juri had trained at two of the more powerful shrines in the land and seemed to be ready to finish her training at the hands of Lady Kaede.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome's life was still unbearable. She was still Sesshoumaru'e sex slave only now he wouldn't tie her up. Feeling defeated, she had started to give in to his demands. She couldn't understand, he had a mate, why did he need her too.

As the months passed, Sesshoumaru gave her the responsibility of caring for his 2 male pups, Kazuhiko and Eiji as well as for Rin. She didn't mind caring for Eiji, as he was a soft-spoken child. But, Kazuhiko was every bit like his father, constantly putting her down for being a hanyou and pulling her ears and just being an overall brat. He would order her around like she was HIS slave, saying,

"Someday I'm gonna be leader of the Western Lands and when I am I'll remember all these times you'd ignore me and you will pay for your sins."

Kagome soon learned that she could tell Sesshoumaru about this behavior and Kazuhiko would face his father's wrath.

Kagura was none too happy over her mate's dalliances with the now half-demon girl. While Sesshoumaru started to be gentler with her now that she was complaint, Kagura was still evil. The evil guard that had willingly gang raped her was also brought in by Kagura to whip the young girl. Knowing that her skin would heal completely, Kagura would order the guard to strip Kagome naked and whip her violently. The demon men especially like to have Kagome's legs spread and whip her tender genitals. Sesshoumaru was aware of what was happening because he had seen her torn and swollen flesh before. Although Kagome never admitted who was responsible, Kagome had a feeling he knew. Because the next day, the beating would include the demons having their way with her over and over again.

Kagome lived her days in sadness. She tried hard to smile for Rin, but Rin knew something was wrong. Kagome would never admit to the child what her life outside of Rin's presence was like, but in Kagome's heart and mind, she simply wanted to die and end the nightmare her life had become.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha and Kikyou grew closer, as Inuyasha, now starved for the love that Kagome had given him, sought it out from Kikyou. Although Kikyou's body was cold from death, her kisses were warm and her body was willing. Somehow, Kikyou had managed to push Kagome aside in Inuyasha's mind, but never in his heart.

Their romance grew steadily and Inuyasha found happiness in Kikyou's arms and bed. It was almost like he was under a spell. He reasoned with himself that he had moved on with Kagome even though Kikyou hadn't released him from his promise, so he had moved on with Kikyou when he didn't know what happened to Kagome. He just wanted the love she offered and the acceptance she gave.

This is how their worlds would be as time passed and lives continued on. No one knowing where the other was. Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kaede and yes, somewhere, even Takeshi. A group of lives torn apart. At least for a while.


	20. History Repeats Itself

Chapter 20

History Repeats Itself

Ten years passed in the tiny village. Life went on, villagers grew old and died and new ones were born. In the hut of the monk and the tajiya, five more children had been born, bringing their family count to 8, not including the parents and the young fox kit. War was beginning to decrease as Nobunaga worked on restoring Japan to its original self, so the village, while still poor, was peaceful.

The old miko was beginning to show her age and walked very slowly around the village. Even though Lady Juri had taken over most of her work, alot of the villagers still preferred the elderly lady. The friends of Inuyasha and Kagome, while still sad at their disappearance, had moved on with their lives and attempted to put their friends' loss behind them.

"I miss Kagome and Inuyasha.", bemoaned Shippou.

"We all do Shippou.", said Miroku, stoking the fire.

"Yes, I wish we knew what had happened to them.", said an equally sad Sango.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru had grown kinder to Kagome, even beginning to call her Lady Kagome. Their relationship had become less of slave/master and more of a lovers relationship over the years. In spite all that he had done to her in the beginning, Kagome had begun to see a soft side to Sesshoumaru and her heart went out to him. She had even begun to look forward to his nightly visits and their lovemaking.

She overheard, one night recently, an argument between Kagura and Sesshoumaru and she realized it was about her,

"That girl needs to be sent back to where she came from. She doesn't belong here, Sesshoumaru."

"She takes care of Rin and the pups. She's valuable to us.", responded Sesshoumaru.

"Apparantly, she takes care of you, too. You rarely join me in bed anymore.", hissed Kagura.

"If you were more entertaining in the bedroom maybe I wouldn't need her. You don't seem to appreciate the needs of a dog-demon, Kagura."

"I am still your mate."

"That may be, but that doesn't mean I have to fulfill my needs with you."

"Then perhaps I shall leave.", said Kagura.

"You cannot. You are marked. You belong to me. You know perfectly well that having a concubine is well within what is allowed in our relationship!", said Sesshoumaru.

"Then she will suffer at my hands whenever I want.", said Kagura.

"You will no longer bring the castle guards into this. You will stop having her beaten every evening. She doesn't deserve it."

"Then you want me to simply stand by and take it, I suppose?", asked Kagura.

"You should be glad she is her. Because she cares for the pups, you are free to do what you wish. You can barely take care of your own children, Kagura!"

"I didn't ask to have them. That was also part of this relationship that I had to endure.", said Kagura as she walked out of the room, passing by the startled Kagome without even a sideways glance.

Kagome turned around to leave when she heard Sesshoumaru,

"Kagome."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru?"

"I know you heard that conversation."

"I'm sorry to have listened in, My Lord."

"No problem. I do have a desire of you, however."

"What is that?", queried Kagome.

"I would like you to bear me a child."

Kagome stared at Sesshoumaru, had she heard right, "What?", she asked.

"You heard me."

"Why do you want me to bear a child? I am not full demon like Kagura."

"That doesn't matter to me anymore. I think you know how I feel and I want you to give me another child."

"I will, My Lord.", said Kagome, with a smile.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha tended to the fields in the village. This was their 5th village they had been in with the past ten years. The villagers accept Inuyasha and Kikyou, even welcomed them. But, eventually a local Shinto priest or Buddhist monk would journey in and Kikyou's secret would be discovered as the religious men would try to send her back to Hell where they said she belonged. It always ended the same, with Inuyasha attacking and the two of them fleeing.

This village they were in now was a peaceful one, far off the beaten path and away from the traveling roads. No visitors showed up here and the couple lived in peace. Inuyasha's mind still wandered to Kagome and Takeshi and he wondered, if Kagome was alive, if she thought about him too. He wondered where she was, was she mated again, in love with someone else, assuming in her own mind that he was already dead.

In the ten years hence, he had fallen into another comfortable, if rather mundane, life. Every morning he hunted, mostly for the village, and when he brought back the kills, the villagers would prepare the food for everybody. While they did that, he tended the fields and made sure that the fields were free of vermin. His Tessaiga sat on his hip, unused, since not even demons appeared around here.

One day, while out hunting, he came across a traveling road. He quietly watched from the side as some travellers walked by heading north. He really didn't pay attention to them, until he picked up a bit of what they were talking about,

"That lovely miko in that small village made fabulous dumplings, didn't she?"

"Yes, and she was quite a sight. Especially compared to that older miko, what was her name?"

"Kaede?"

"Yea, that was it."

Inuyasha's ears perked up? Kaede? Young miko? Great dumplings? Pretty? It must be Kagome! He had to find out! He needed to know or he'll never be able to rest again. If it was Kagome ... would she accept him back? That didn't matter ...as long as she was safe! He hurried back to Kikyou to explain,

"Kikyou. I must leave for a bit."

"Why? What's the problem?", asked Kikyou.

"I was out by the roads hunting and I overheard some men talking about a young priestess in Kaede's village. I have to see if it's Kagome.", he said.

"Inuyasha! You are supposed to stay with me. That was your promise when I said I would not take you to Hell with me. If you break that promise I will take you to Hell!", said an angry Kikyou.

"Kikyou, I have to see. I must or I can never go on.", pleaded Inuyasha.

Inuyasha turned and left and ran through the forest, heading down to Kaede's village. He didn't realize that Kikyou had gotten on a horse and was following him. Racing through the trees, he finally saw the small village on the horizon. He realized then that he heard a horse behind him and Kikyou's voice yelling,

"INUYASHA!"

Inuyasha ran down the hill and though the forest, exiting out the otherside by the village. As he exited, he saw his old friends working near the forest,

"MIROKU! SANGO! SHIPPOU!", he called out.

His friends turned around and shock covered their faces which quickly changed to joy. Their friend was back! As they headed over to him, they heard the voice of the still inexperienced young miko, Juri, shout,

"DEMON!", as she prepared her bow.

Kaede turned and saw Juri ready to fire and could sense the miko power she was calling upon was one to destroy a demon. She started to cry out for her to stop, when she saw Kikyou emerge from the trees on horseback and come around in front of Inuyasha.

Confused, Inuyasha started to run to escape the two mikos that had their bows aimed at him. Juri fired off her arrow as Kikyou yelled out,

"INUYASHA!". as she fired off her bow simultaneously. Kikyou's arrown struck him first, pinning him to the sacred tree of ages as Juri's arrow flew by.

Inuyasha looked down at his chest in shock and then at Kikyou,

"Why? Kikyou?", he got out as his body slumped and he fell into his enchanted sleep.

Kikyou got off her horse and and stared at Inuyasha,

"Because you betrayed me, Inuyasha. For real this time."

"Kikyou!", she heard a female voice say. Turning around, she saw her sister Kaede with her bow at the ready, aimed at her heart,

"Why Kikyou?"

"Stay out of this Kaede.", said Kikyou, "It is none of your concern."

"Ye do not belong here in the land of the living and ye had no reason to seal Inuyasha again. If ye want to go to Hell, I will gladly send you there. I'm sorry, sister Kikyou.", Kaede said, as her arrow flew and found it's mark deep in Kikyou's chest. Kikyou screamed as her body disintegrated into hundreds of little lights that flew up into the skies.

"The souls of all the maidens she harbored to keep her body moving", surmised Miroku.

Shippou ran over to Inuyasha's limp body, "Poor Inuyasha. What do we do now?"

"There's nothing we can do. Only young Kagome was able to free Inuyasha from the spell...", started Kaede.

"And we have no idea if she's even alive.", said Sango.

"I wonder why Inuyasha was returning here after all these years?", mused Miroku.


	21. Time Passages

Chapter 21

Time Passages

Eight years had passed since that fateful day when Inuyasha reappeared in the village. Lady Juri had learned of the story of Inuyasha and why the villagers began treating the sacred tree as a shrine. Miroku commissioned a building be built around the tree and Inuyasha's body to keep onlookers at bay. He didn't feel right having his friend gawked at by passerbys.

Almost eight years to the day found Miroku and a very elderly Lady Kaede speaking at the shrine,

"Monk, I will soon be gone from this world. I beg of ye, please take care of this shrine. I know it is Shinto and you are Buddhist but, ..."

"Say no more, Lady Kaede. Inuyasha was my friend and I will always be his. I will make sure that my children and descendants watch over this shrine. At least until someone comes along and can free him again.", said Miroku.

"Ye have been a good man, Miroku. I am happy that I got to know ye, Sango and Shippou. My only regret in this life is that I never learned the whereabouts of young Kagome."

"I fear I may die without learning what happened to her as well. It is a shame. She was a wonderful and kind girl."

"Aye. And so good for Inuyasha."

The next morning, Lady Juri went into Kaede's hut and found that the old miko had passed away in her sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miroku laid on his deathbed. He was in his 90's ... old and weak. He had lived a good life with his wife and family. He was a great-great-great grandfather now and was happy at the expansive family he had. He knew he didn't have long before he would see the afterlife. His wife sat beside him, holding his hand, as he struggled to breathe. Sango was aged, too, and knew she didn't have much more time after Miroku.

Another 60 years had passed since the death of Lady Kaede. The village had grown considerably as the town of Edo began to creep to its borders. Miroku worried about what would become of Inuyasha's shrine. As much as they tried to keep the actual story alive, Inuyasha's shrine became known as the shrine of the Dog-God. His friends would laugh at the idea of Inuyasha being a god, much as they had done when the villagers who had problems with monkey sprites had considered him a god.

One of Miroku's grandsons, who had become a Shinto priest instead of a Buddhist monk, agreed to have his family become caretakers of the shrine. He also promised his grandfather that the well would become enshrined as well. Miroku told his grandson, Akihiro,

"One day, commoners such as ourselves will be able to take family names for our clans. I beg of you, pass down the name Higurashi."

"I promise, grandfather, I will.", Akihiro said.

A few days later, Miroku passed peacefully to the Netherworld. Sango would linger for 3 more years and then she, too, was gone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome often thought about her friends and Inuyasha throughout her life, but the one thing Sesshoumaru had refused to give her was her freedom to go an see her old freinds. She was still his mistress, and she had bore him 2 children, a son, Isamu and a daughter, Akemi. She still took care of his two sons from Kagura, Eiji (the younger and soft-spoken child) and Kazuhiko.

Although she was his mistress, they shared more love than Sesshoumaru and Kagura. Kagura was merely a figurehead anymore, still retaining her title as his mate and Lady of the Western Lands. The love they had once shared had since dissipated.

Kagome and her children lived in luxury and wanted for nothing. And while Kagome had learned to love Sesshoumaru, her heart, deep inside, would always belong to the hanyou. As the years passed, she knew her human friends had probably died not knowing her whereabouts. For that she was truly sad and sorry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The young wolf hanyou stood on the rock and surveyed the area. He was handsome and strong, looking very much like his father. His black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail and his brown eyes were like steel. His adoptive mother, Ayame, had done a wonderful raising him to be a strong warrior. She had told him all about his father and his father's legacy. He was proud of his heritage and was preparing to take back his father's tribe. He had been training his whole life for this. Even though he was a warrior through and through, his mother had trained him to have a soft spot. He wasn't all steel and ice.

"Mother,", he called as he headed back into the den, "Where are Ginta and Hakkaku? Do you know?"

"They are probably relaxing by the waterfall, Takeshi. Why do you ask?", said his mother, Ayame.

"I just want to talk to them. I am anxious to get on with this Rokin. I want to reclaim my father's tribe.", he said, heading out to the falls.

Just as expected, Hakkaku and Ginta were by the falls, asleep. The southern wolf demon tribe had no real enemies so threats were minor and relaxation was high. Takeshi shoved his two friends gently,

"Yo, fellas, get up.", he said, prodding them.

"Huh? Oh it's you Takeshi.", said Ginta

"Who else would it be? So, when do I get to meet this Rokin? I'm anxious to fight.", said Takeshi.

"Give it time. I'm sure you're ready.", said Hakkaku.

Takeshi sat crosslegged on the rock, "I'm chomping at the bit here you guys. I want to fight and become leader."

"I know. And you will. Rokin is strong. Not very bright, but strong. We want to make sure you are fully prepared.", said Ginta.

"I have fought the strongest wolves in the southern pack and I have beaten them all. I am strong enough and smarter than this Rokin"

"Keep practicing. We will send Janden and Yarte up to spy on the Eastern Tribe and see what is happening, ok?"

"Fine. Fine. As long as we get some movement going here.", said the impatient Takeshi.


	22. A Leader Emerges

Chapter 22

A Leader Emerges

Janden and Yarte returned a few weeks later to report on their findings,

"The tribe of the east is in total disarray.", reported Janden.

"Yea, Rokin is not a good leader. The hunting up there is terrible and most of the den is unhappy with him as leader.", said Yarte.

"Good. Then we should be able to find allies for a coup. We should have no trouble taking down Rokin.", said Makate, the leader of the southern tribe.

"All I want is Rokin's head to avenge my father's death.", yelled out Takeshi, "I will be the new leader of the Eastern Tribe."

Cheers erupted all around Takeshi. He was young, appearing about 14 or 15 years old, but he was strong and determined. And to those that knew Kouga, he looked every bit like his late father. He also possessed some of his mother's spiritual powers which made his sword even deadlier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome kept herself busy with her children and Eiji, Kagura's son with Sesshoumaru. Kazuhiko refused to have anything to do with her. She was an outsider and to him, a whore. When he was leader of the Western Lands, he swore he would eliminate her.

Sesshoumaru had decided years ago that Kagome would learn how to battle properly. When he was able, he trained her himself, making sure she knew the way of the sword. She also became an excellent marksman with her arrow and with her growing priestess power, she would eventually become a deadly foe.

Sesshoumaru went to a demon swordsmith and commissioned a sword for Kagome. The hilt was made of gold and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Sesshoumaru felt it was a perfect sword for a future Lady of the Western Lands.

Yes, Sesshoumaru had plans for his mistress. He desired nothing more now than te be freed of his committment to Kagura so that he could mark the one lady he truly loved. He showed more emotion to Kagome than he ever had to anyone else in his entire life. He found pleasure in the simple things like sitting out in the garden of the castle and watching Kagome play with the children.

Rin stayed with them as a friend. At the age of 17, Sesshoumaru granted her wish and requested his mother make a similar potion for Rin that she had made for Kagome. Rin received her wish of becoming a hanyou and being able to stay and server her master forever.

His death wish for Kagura came true one evening. That night, the eastern wolves decided to attack the peaceful western wolves, who were allied with Sesshoumaru. The western wolves were unprepared for the uncalled for raid and a few of the lesser wolves were able to get a distress howl for help out before they were unceremoniously killed.

Sesshoumaru, Kagura and Kagome raced to join the battle to protect the western wolf tribe. Kagome knew that the eastern wolves were once the followers of Kouga and she was shocked at what she saw. The wolves were brutal and destructive, battling with no honor or glory befitting of a demon. They killed not only the males, but the slower pregnant females and the young pups.

Sesshoumaru easily destroyed many wolves using his vine whip while Kagome dispensed with several using her bow and arrow. Kagura used her Dance of Blades to destroy even more. That's when it turned ugly. Kagura sensed this was a good time to remove Kagome from her life. Using her Dance of the Dead, she controlled some of the corpses and used them against the unsuspecting Kagome. Sesshoumaru turned just in time to see the dead bodies of wolves heading towards Kagome. He reacted quickly,

"KAGOME!", he called out as he prepared his vine whip attack and brought down the corpses.

"HMPH! I only need to make more Sesshoumaru.", yelled Kagura.

When the eastern wolves sensed the demons fighting amongst themselves, they launched an attack. Sesshoumaru raced towards Kagome to protect her, leaving Kagura to defend herself. Kagura turned to face the onslaught of wolves but she miscalculated. Not realizing there was a group forming in the back, she ended up underneath their attack as they jumped on her from the rear. Trying to free her hand with her fan, she attempted to summon her attack, but to no avail. She was swarmed by over a hundred demon wolves and brought down.

Sesshoumaru pushed Kagome away and, using his vine whip, brought down about half the wolves that swarmed over Kagura. He next took aim at the leader, who only stood there urging his pack on,

"Some leader you are. You should be fighting with your COMRADES!", yelled out Sesshoumaru as he attacked the large wolf.

Sensing the danger, the leader cowardly hid behind some of his fighting comrades, putting them in harms way of the vine whip. As the attack took down the wolves protecting him, he made his escape, yelling out,

"RETREAT!"

The remains of the eastern tribe stopped the attack and fled with their tails between their legs.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome took stock of the damage. The western tribe had taken a bad hit. Over 300 wolves were dead. They had succeeded in protecting 10 lactating females, 30 pups, 5 pregnant females and a few teenage wolves not ready to bear pups yet. About 70 males had survived - 30 or so of them able to help repopulate the tribe. The once mighty, peaceful tribe was decimated.

Kagome went over to where Kagura's body lay. She turned to Sesshoumaru,

"Will you revive her with the Tenseiga?"

"No."

"But, Sesshoumaru, she's your mate. The mother of your two sons ..."

"Kagome ... I do not love her. To revive her would return her to her spot as my mate. It is you I want as my mate. I know in your heart you still love Inuyasha, but, I told you. He is dead. No one has seen him for years. The word in the forest is that the undead miko took him. Please, stay with me and allow me to mark you. Take your rightful place as Lady of the Western Lands."

"Do you love me, Sesshoumaru?"

"Do you doubt my feelings after all these years?"

"No. I ... I just don't know."

"Kagome. You are a strong and powerful woman, warrior and miko. Your strength comes from many different areas, not just battle strength. You have shown me compassion after all that I had done to you. I apologized for my sins and asked your forgiveness and you gave it to me. No other woman would have done that. I want you to be my mate and our son to claim his spot as leader of these lands when my time is done."

"But, Kazuhiko?"

"Kazuhiko has alot to learn about humility and compassion. He does not belong as leader."

Sesshoumaru held out his arm and Kagome allowed him to hold her. She would accept his mark and become the next Lady of the Western Lands.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My Lord. My Lord...", a young wolf came up to Makete, "There has been an awful battle in the west. Rokin and the eastern wolves attacked the western wolves."

"WHAT? Why the hell did Rokin attack our kin? Wolves should not attack brethern without provocation and the western wolves are a peaceful tribe.", said Makete.

"It is time to take Rokin down.", said another wolf in the pack.

"Takeshi needs to take his rightful place as leader.", said Hakkaku.

"I agree.", said Makete, "We attack at dawn and restore the eastern pack to its fromer glory.", said Makete as the wolves began cheering and shouting Takeshi's name!


	23. The Battle of Wolves

Chapter 23

The Battle of Wolves

The southern wolves marched steadily on through the evening and late at night. The moonless, starless night protected their movements. They ran quietly, stealthily, keeping all movements a secret. Animals fled from them but humans had no knowledge of their advancements. They were as quiet as mice looking for food.

The northern tribe had also been alerted to the massacre of the western tribe. A wolf from the southern tribe had been sent to notify the northern tribe that there would be a retaliation attack on Rokin and his wolves at dawn. The intent, they were told, was to reinstate Kouga's line to leadership. Takeshi was prepared to take over. The northern tribe agreed to send wolves to assist in the battle to bring Rokin down.

Spies from the south had determined that most of the eastern tribe were against Rokin but were too weak to disagree with his orders. There were about 10 wolves who sided completely with Rokin. And then there was Rokin. Word from the spies after the battle in the west was that about 100 ally wolves were taken down by Sesshoumaru and two females - a demon and a hanyou. That left only 50 ally wolves to count on turning against their leader. The southern tribe was informed that Rokin fled in fear of Sesshoumaru and that he never fought. The plan was devised that the 10 wolves allied with Rokin would be engaged by the stronger wolves of the northern and southern regions, freeing Takeshi to search for Rokin.

The attacking wolves took their positions. The eastern wolves slowly returned from a night of hunting. The air ws filled with the scent of blood - demon, animal and human. Their hunger sated and their bellies full, the lazy wolves laid down to rest, their noses not picking up the scent of intruder wolves. The outsider wolves watched as Rokin's loyal followers brought food up into the cave where Rokin's scent came from. As soon as all 10 followers were acounted for, the wolves made their move.

Stepping out from their cover, they alerted the sleeping wolves to their presence. Most of the 50 males readily agreed to join in the take down, but three refused and howled to the sky ... notifying others of the intruders. The wolves took their places - over 200 wolves versus 10. It would seem to be an easy battle. But, these 10 wolves fought like 100 wolves and their attacks were vicious and cruel. The northern and southern tribes never gave up even though the battle dragged on late into the morning.

Takeshi patiently waited for Rokin to show himself. The leader eventually walked out of the cave to see what was happening. He didn't like what he saw. His wolves, except for his 10 loyal followers were fighting alongside the wolves from the north and south. Realizing this was an overthrow attempt, Rokin knew he was outnumbered and decided to flee to save himself. He would still be leader as long as he was alive.

As Rokin jumped down from the cave and headed out through the forest, he heard a loud growl and turned,

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name isn't important to you. I plan on avenging Kouga's death and taking my place as leader."

"You ... you are? Don't make me laugh. You are nothing but a half-demon! Like you could take me down!"

"Why don't we just see about that? I'll gladly take you on..."

Rokin stopped and stared. He realized now that this kid looked familiar. Very familiar,

"So, Kouga impregnated that pathetic human female he chose as a mate. And you are his son. I will gladly destroy the son of Kouga!", yelled Rokin as he made his first move, attempting to slice a chunk out of Takeshi's body.

But, Rokin had gotten fat and lazy in his years as leader and was no match for the younger, leaner, well-trained hanyou. Takeshi simply dodged the attack. Takeshi realized he easily had the upper hand but wanted to play with his prey. Egging on the slovenly leader, Takeshi would nimbly move away as Rokin attacked. He played this game out, over and over, jumping around and laughing,

"Over here ... nope ...over here...nope...too slow!"

The cat and mouse game continued until Rokin couldn't stay upright anymore. Falling to the ground, the leader tried to get up to no avail. Takeshi asked a simple question of his opponent,

"How did my father die?"

Rokin didn't answer him. He just looked at the young hanyou in disgust,

"Dammit! I asked you a question! Now answer me! How did you kill my father?"

Rokin spat out, "I sliced off his head with my sword."

"Then that will be your punishment, too!", said Takeshi as he unsheathed his sword and sliced off Rokin's head.

Resheathing his sword, Takeshi took the head of Rokin and charged up to the entrance of the den. He called down to the fighting wolves below,

"COMRADES! I have succeeded! I have the head of Rokin! I am now Takeshi - Leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Clan!"

Of the 10 loyal followers to Rokin, only 2 remained and they accepted death as their fate instead of agreeing to bow to the new leader. The successful wolves shouted out Takeshi's name and cheered for him. As was standard for wolves, they sought out the females. The females that agreed to bow to Takeshi were permitted to stay. The ones loyal to Rokin were banished. All of Rokin's pups were killed. Takeshi could start anew.

In the days following the takeover, Takeshi sat around with his friends Ginta and Hakkaku,

"Ginta. Tell me more about my mother.", said Takeshi.

"I've told you what I know. She was a human girl named Kagome. Kouga claimed her away from this half-demon, Inuyasha. He marked and mated her, creating you, but Inuyasha fought Kouga for Kagome and won, but he didn't kill Kouga. Inuyasha took Kagome and left. We found you when you were quite young and convinced them to allow the wolves to raise you so you could be Kouga's heir.", said Ginta.

"Hmmm.", Takeshi said, "What happened to them?"

"Don't know. Kagome, being human, is probably dead. We have no idea where Inuyasha is."

Takeshi thought to himself, '_So my mother willingly allowed me to be raised by wolves. Why did she do that_?'


	24. 3000 Leagues in Search of Inuyasha

Chapter 24

3000 Leagues in Search of Inuyasha

Takeshi proved to be an impressive leader. Under his guidance, peace reigned and the tribe grew steadily. Even though he was hanyou, the fact that he was Kouga's son and a fair leader, earned him the respect and loyalty of his fellow wolves. About 20 years after the takeover, he even chose a mate from the dozens of eligible young wolf demonesses that paraded in front of him. In fact, what surprised everybody, was that he chose a lovely young wolf hanyou girl as his mate. The daughter of a powerful demoness who had been attacked by a samurai, Manami - whose name meant 'love beauty', was the one girl who caught his eye. Her long, black hair, piercing blue eyes and tall stature made her a beauty that stood out. And she loved the hanyou for himself, not because of who his father was.

The two wolf hanyous courted and finally mated. Takeshi was informed of the wolf demon mating ritual and his human side found it disgusting. Instead, he took Manami took a secret spot of his that he loved and mated with her there, in the cover of a thicket by a trickling waterfall. The mating was successful and the following spring, Manami bore twin sons for her mate, Takehiko and Takeo.

The birth of his sons started Takeshi thinking about his own parentage. He knew all about Kouga, even if it was one-sided, from his wolf bretheren. Now, if only he could discover more about his mother and the half-dog that had raised him for the first few years of his life. He didn't know where to start and he figured, that after over 100 years, finding information about the young priestess who bore him would probably be impossible.

Seeking out his loyal and faithful comrades, he decided to ask them some questions. He found them, lazing in the sun by a small stream,

"Ginta. Hakkaku. Wake up you lazy bums.", Takeshi said, kicking them awake with his foot.

"Whaa ... huh? Oh, Takeshi, it's you.", exclaimed Ginta.

"What is it Takeshi?", said Hakkaku.

"I want to know more about my mother. And Inuyasha."

"We've told you all we know.", said Hakkaku.

"Yea. We don't know much more about them.", said Ginta.

"Well, you went to see them. Where is the village that you went to?", asked Takeshi.

"Uhhh...", stammered Ginta nervously. He didn't want Takeshi to discover that Kagome and Inuyasha hadn't given him up willingly as a child as they had told him.

"We don't remember where the village is. It's been so long.", added Hakkaku.

"You must at least have some idea. North, South, East, West. Where?"

"North.", said Ginta

"West.", chorused Hakkaku with Ginta.

Takeshi looked at them in shock, "Well, which is it? North or west?"

"Why do you want to know?", asked Ginta.

"Well, I figure my mother is long since dead. But, Inuyasha, being a half-demon, should still be alive. I want to see if I can find him and see if he can tell me more about my mother.", said Takeshi.

"That's probably not a good idea.", said Ginta.

"Yea. Inuyasha is really mean. I mean, look what he did to your father. Fought him for his one true love and stole her from him. You don't want to go see Inuyasha.", said Hakkaku.

"My mother must have been something for my father and a half-demon to be fighting over her.", mused Takeshi.

"Trust me. Leave your mother in the past. It's better that way.", said Ginta.

"Yea. Leave sleeping dogs lie.", said Hakkaku.

Takeshi agreed and left the two wolf demons alone. Thinking they had dodged a serious blow, Ginta and Hakkaku breathed a collective sigh of relief. What they didn't know was that Takeshi hadn't given up the thought of his mother,

_'I'll find Inuyasha someday. I have to. I need to learn about my mother.', _he thought as he headed back to his den and mate.

A few weeks passed and Takeshi couldn't get his mother or Inuyasha out of his mind. After talking with his mate one night, he decided to set out on a pilgrimige. A journey of discovery. He headed first to the Northern Wolf den to speak with the elders,

"Elder, I am eager to learn more about my human mother. Is there anything you can tell me?", Takeshi asked.

"I know nothing about your mother except that she was a priestess. She also was not from these parts, although we know not where she came from.", said the elder wolf.

"Takeshi, you lead a fine tribe of wolves. Your father would be proud. Why worry about your past?", asked another elder.

"I have powers that mere wolves don't have. I was told that these are the powers of human priest or priestess. So they must have come from my mother. I need to find out more. I am seeking a half-demon by the name of Inuyasha ...", he started.

"Inuyasha? Did you say Inuyasha?", asked an elder.

"Yes, I did. Why, elder? Do you know of him?", asked Takeshi.

"Inuyasha is the second son of the legendary Inu no Taisho, the great dog leader of the western lands.", said an elder.

"He fought your father for the right to mate with your mother.", said another.

"I know that. Where can I find him? Do you know?". asked Takeshi, trying to seem patient.

"Head south. The last we knew of him he was residing in a small village in Musashi. That is all we know.", said the senior wolf, "But, be careful what you wish for, Takeshi, you may not like what you discover."

Takeshi bowed, "Thank you elders. Thank you for your time.", he said, turning around and running towards the southland, thinking, '_Why didn't Ginta and Hakkaku tell me south? What is up with them? Are they hiding something I should know?' _

Takeshi decided to stop back at the den to see his mate and pups and have another word with Ginta and Hakkaku. He learned that once Hakkaku and Ginta discovered that Takeshi had left to speak with the northern elders, they had disappeared,

"Hmph! Probably went down to the southlands to the tribe there. Chickens!", he said to his mate, who agreed with him.

Takeshi waited a few days before heading out on his next journey. He felt he was getting close. He could feel it in his bones. Going further south and heading towards what was once known as Mashai, he started asking demons if they had heard of Inuyasha. Most demons wanted nothing to do with the hanyou, but one demon, Royakan, the rogue wolf demon, was happy to oblige,

"Seek out the fox demon, Shippou and the raccoon-dog demon Hachi just north of the town of Edo. There is a shrine in Edo that is protected by a family of Buddhist monks and Shinto priests and priestesses. It is rumored to be the shrine of a dog god, but only certain people can visit it. Shippou and Hachi can tell you more."

"Thanks my friend. I owe you one.", said Takeshi, as he took off to find the fox and raccoon dog.

"No problem.", said Royakan to Takeshi's back as he sped away. Royakan shuddered as he remembered battling the fierce half-demon so long ago.


	25. The Sacred Tree

Chapter 25

The Sacred Tree

Takeshi followed the path that Royakan told him about. Sniffing the air and the ground, he picked up the scent of foxes. Following the scents, he came upon a field. In the field, a teenaged girl played with 3 fox kits,

"Excuse me,", he called out to the girl, "Do you know where I can find Shippou the fox demon?"

The girl stared at the wolf hanyou, fear clearly registered on her face. Gathering the kits, she began to run to a small hut,

"No! Wait! Please don't go! I won't hurt you ...", he started to say. He then heard,

"FOX FIRE!"

Takeshi nimbly dodged the attack and yelled out,

"I'm not here to fight. I am here looking for the fox demon Shippou or the raccoon dog Hachi."

"Why do you search for them?", the voice inside the hut called back.

"I am searching for Inuyasha. I was told that Shippou or Hachi might be able to assist me.", called back Takeshi.

"Inu ... yasha?", the voice tenatively answered, then in a stronger voice, it asked, "Why are you searching for Inuyasha? Who are you?"

"I am Takeshi, Leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe and I ..."

A young, small fox demon emerged from the hut, his eyes wide,

"Did you say Takeshi?"

"Yes, I did. Why? Do I know you?"

"Takeshi, it's me, Shippou. We used to play together when you were a child. Don't you remember me?", asked Shippou, a tear in his eye.

"No. I'm sorry I don't. If I did, then you knew my mother, right?", asked Takeshi.

"Yes I did. Quite well. She was like a mother to me. Come in, please. Come in and meet my family and we'll talk.", said Shippou.

Takeshi agreed and joined Shippou, the young girl and 3 small kits in the hut. Shippou introduced the girl as his mate, Satsuki, and the 3 kits as Miroku, Sango, and Kagome,

"I named them after my friends.", he said, with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Shippou began telling Takeshi everything he knew about Kagome and Inuyasha. Takeshi kept noticing how Shippou always referred to her like a mother,

"If she was like a mother to you, then why did she give me back to the wolves to be raised?", he asked Shippou.

"WHAT? Who told you that bullshit line? You were kidnapped Takeshi. Inuyasha left the village searching for you and never returned and even your mother disappeared. ", said Shippou, angrily.

"Kidnapped? But ...but I was told by Ginta and Hakkaku that my mother felt it was better if I was raised by the wolves ... I ...I"

"Ginta and Hakkaku are the ones that kidnapped you. Kagome and Inuyasha adored you. Inuyasha told Ginta and Hakkaku to stay away from you or he would kill them. They would never have given you up, Takeshi.", said Shippou.

"Inuyasha ... he raised me ...adored me? Even though I was Kouga's son?", Takeshi asked in disbelief.

"You were the best thing that ever happened to Inuyasha. You adored him too. Always followed him around or sat on his shoulder. Whenever a demon would attack the village and Inuyasha would fight it, you'd always cheer him on.", reminisced Shippou.

Takeshi thought about this. He really had no memory of anything Shippou was telling him and he was angry at his so-called friends, Hakkaku and Ginta. Because of them, he never knew his mother,

"What happened to my mother, Shippou? Do you know?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't. No one does. She disappeared and no one has seen her since. We assumed she died a long time ago.", said Shippou sadly.

"How about Inuyasha? Did he search for her?", Takeshi questioned.

"Yes, he did. But, he disappeared too. Told us he would never return unless he found you or Kagome. Then one day he did return, but we never found anything out. A priestess sealed him to a tree and he's been there ever since. It has to be nearly 70 years now."

"Pinned to a tree? Is that the shrine of the dog god I heard about?", asked Takeshi.

"Well, yea, but Inuyasha was the furthest thing from a god. Hot-headed, simple, thick skulled, stupid ... he had more brawns than brains. But, he was still lovable. But he was NO god!", said Shippou, chuckling.

"Can you take me there, Shippou? Please?", begged Takeshi.

"Sure. It's getting late now. Have some dinner and we'll set out in the morning.", said Shippou.

"Sure.", said Takeshi.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning dawned bright and clear, the summer sun slowly rising over the mountains. Satsuki prepared a delicious breakfast for her family before Shippou and Takeshi set out for Edo and the sacred tree. It wasn't that far and they arrived by mid-morning.

The people of the eastern edge of Edo were still used to seeing demons around. Some were problems, but most were just there to look. Shippou and Takeshi made their way through the marketplace and down a hill. Here they passed an old well, covered up and unused, but sporting the Shinto paper talismans. Heading further into town, Takeshi saw a Torii just before a simple wood building surrounding a huge tree. Like the well, the tree also sported the paper talisman, symbol of its sacred status. The two demons were greeted by a Shinto Priest,

"Shippou! How nice of you to visit us.", said the young man.

"Yasuo, nice to see you. How is everybody?", said Shippou.

"Fine. Fine. Who is your friend? He's a hanyou, isn't he?", said Yasuo.

"Yes. His name is Takeshi. He is the leader of the demon wolf tribe to the east. He is also Kagome's son.", said Shippou.

"Kagome? The young priestess who disappeared? I remember my grandfather telling me the tale that his grandfather, Miroku, told. Such a sad story. Are you here to visit Inuyasha?"

"Yes, we are. May we enter?", asked Shippou?

"Of course, Shippou. And take your time.", said Yasuo, as he showed them the way in.

Shippou and Takeshi walked into the building that was lit with candles and lanterns. It wasn't very bright and seemed sort of eerie. As Takeshi looked around his eyes fell on the silvery-white haired half-demon that hung from a single, decaying arrow. He appeared to be sleeping,

"Is he dead?", whispered Takeshi.

"No. He is in an enchanted sleep placed upon him by the priestess Kikyou for the second time in his life.", said Shippou, who then proceeded to tell Inuyasha's story.

As Shippou recited the tale, Takeshi stared at the young half-demon. Slightly older than he, Inuyasha still retained his youth and looks. As his mind began to drift, he recalled memories long hidden. Including the face of the half-demon before him playing with a young wolf hanyou,

"Papa.", he breathed softly under his breath.

As Shippou finished the tale, Takeshi asked,

"How do we revive him?"

"We can't. Many have tried. The only one who can probably revive him is Kagome. Old Kaede figured that since Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyou, she was the only one capable of freeing him.", said Shippou.

"If my mother is dead, shouldn't her soul be reincarnated by now?", asked Takeshi.

"Not necessarily. I don't really understand all that religious stuff though.", said Shippou.

"Well, maybe she's not dead.", said Takeshi.

"Takeshi, Kagome was human. She has to be dead by now. It's been over 100 years.", said Shippou.

"Hmmm. Maybe. But, then again, maybe not.", mused Takeshi, thinking, '_I don't think my quest is over yet. Papa, I will find a way to free you. I promise.' _


	26. The Battle for the Western Lands

Chapter 26

The Battle for the Western Lands

Kagome's life was full of happiness and hope. Although her mind would wander sometimes to the past and to Inuyasha, she found her current life fulfilling and desirable. Sesshoumaru had turned into an admirable mate and father and, with Kagome's guidance, an exceptional leader. Kgome truly loved him and, for the first time in her long life, had understood the dilemma that Inuyasha had always faced with her and Kikyou. She loved both men equally and missed Inuyasha terribly.

Peace reigned in the Western Lands as Kagome helped Sesshoumaru forge alliances with the more powerful humans of their time. Instead of forcing the demons out of the lands, the humans allowed them to stay and prosper. The western wolf demon tribe had survived and repopulated, their numbers growing into nearly a thousand strong. Life was very good, to say the least.

Kagome birthed two more children during the past couple of years. A son, Yoshiro - now 5, and a daughter, Ume - now 1. Their other two children, son Isamu, was actually about 50 years old but looked no more than 14, and daughter Akemi was about 30 years old and appeared about 13. As with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, she loved all her children dearly. Her heart, however, still ached for her first son, Takeshi. She prayed every night that if he was alive, that he was doing well.

As for Sesshoumaru's sons from Kagura, Kazuhiko and Eiji, both looked no more than 15 years old. Kazuhiko was still a stuck up brat and Eiji was gentle and kind. Kazuhiko had his eyes on leading the western lands one day, something he believed to be his birthright. His father disagreed,

"You do not have what it takes to lead the western lands, my son."

"Oh yea? And that partial-breed Isamu does? Father, the one who will lead will be the one that fights you and takes you down. That will be me.", said Kazuhiko.

"You think you can fight me? Then fight me if you want. I will send you to Hell!", said Sesshoumaru.

"Now is not the time. But that time will come. And mark my words, father, I will take you down.",Kazuhiko said defiantly as he turned to leave.

Kagome worried about Kazuhiko. He was dangerous to her and her sons. It was obvious he didn't fear Eiji, as Eiji only desired to be an artisan. Kagome feared Kazuhiko would have to be taken out of the picture to keep harm from befalling her two sons.

As for Rin, she had since married a young wolf demon from the local tribe and had gone to live with him. She had recently birthed her first child, a son they named Nao. She still came around and helped Kagome around the castle, even though there were servants to do such mundane work. The two women still enjoyed getting together and working as if they were living simple lives again.

Around Ume's 2nd birthday, the peace was broken. A new warlord had defeated the regional daimyo and declared war on the demons. The first set of demons to be attacked was the wolf tribe. Hearing the howl for help, Kagome and Isamu headed out to battle. Sesshoumaru roused Kazuhiko,

"The wolves are being attacked. We could use your assistance.", Sesshoumaru said to his eldest son.

"Pffft! Like I care. Those mangy wolves mean nothing to me.", Kazuhiko said cockily.

"With that attitude you will never be leader of these lands.", said Sesshoumaru as he walked out and headed into battle.

The battle was fierce as demon fought human to the death. Kagome and Isamu had battled their way to the front of the wolf den and stood their ground. Isamu was a decent warrior, but he still had much to learn. Hearing laughter from the samurai, Kagome turned around to see a samurai holding her son up by the hair as he struggled to get free,

"Release my son or pay the consequences!", Kagome screamed at the samurai, who only laughed harder. Cocking her arrow, she released it and it hit its mark, right through the wrist of the samurai holding Isamu,

"Damn wench! I'll show you!", he yelled, as he got off his horse and headed towards her. Kagome allowed him to get close and then she grabbed her knife and plunged it into the unsuspecting man. As he fell to his knees, she grabbed his sword and cockily said,

"Hmmm. Nice blade.", as she pointed it at him.

The samurai looked at her and got out between heavy breaths, "Give it to me. It ... was ..my..father's ...blade."

"Well, too bad you lost your daddy's blade.", she said.

As other samurais tried to approach her, she placed the blade to the samurai's neck, "Tell them to back off or I slice your throat."

"Back off. Back off, I say.", the injured samurai commanded.

Kagome felt very confident now,

"Stand up! I said ... stand up!", she said, pulling the man to his feet. With his blade, she swiped at his pants and they fell to his knees. A very embarrassed samurai tried to cover himself, "Don't bother. I've seen better. Pfft! I've had better!", she said, laughing.

Looking at the men, she said, "Leave this land or I swear to the gods I'll turn each of you from a rooster to a hen with one slice!", and as proof, she began to stick her sword into the hapless samurai's scrotum. The leader of this band of samurais quickly called retreat and they left. The wolves were safe.

Kagome looked toward the east and saw a pack of wolves approaching,

"Mama, look. More wolves.", said Isamu.

"Probably coming to the aid of their western comrades.", Kagome assumed.

Kagome looked over to her mate. He handily had the humans under control and retreating. They were no match for his vine whip attack. Looking back at the approaching wolves, she stopped and stared. The leader! He ... he ...

"KOUGA?", she said out loud in shock.

At that moment she heard a loud death scream. Turning quickly, she saw Sesshoumaru on his knees with a sword and a hand sticking out of his back. The hand belonged to Kazuhiko.


	27. Death and a New Beginning

Chapter 27

Death and a New Beginning

Kagome could only stare at the bloody scene. Kazuhiko's blade had pierced Sesshoumaru's back and chest and his hand was also buried deep in his father's back. Kazuhiko took out his hand, and laughing, licked off his father's blood,

"So I can't beat you, can I father? Well, I just did. Your time here as leader is over and I will reign supreme. And I will kill that whore you call mate and her bratty pups."

Kagome ran over to Sesshoumaru, calling out his name, crying heavily. The western wolves asked their eastern comrades to hold off Kazuhiko and protect the Lady. The eastern leader surrounded Kazuhiko as the leader of the western tribe yelled out,

"We do not recognize you as leader. Isamu is the new leader should Lord Sesshoumaru die.", he said as the other wolves cheered in agreement.

"I don't give a damn what you wolves think. I destroyed my father so it is my rightful place to be leader. I will destroy all of you, including the whore you call Lady!", said Kazuhiko.

Kagome laid across Sesshoumaru's chest, covering his wound with her hands and trying to stem the flow of blood, which was massive. Sesshoumaru spoke to her,

"My love, do not weep for me. If it were not for you, my life would have been miserable. You will soon be free again. Please, attempt to find another mate. You do not deserve to be alone."

"No ...Sesshoumaru ... you'll be fine. You'll heal .. you're strong like that.", Kagome sobbed.

"I'm afraid my son knew just where to attack. I'm not long for this world. I do not recognize Kazuhiko as my son anymore. He is banished from my home. Isamu is the true leader. Give him the Tenseiga. He must learn to use it. My love, I'm afraid that my words will not be enough. You are not safe here. You ... you ... must find a safe haven ... elsewhere. I never had someone to protect, father, until now. Live long, Kagome, live long and well with our ... children.", he spoke the last word with his final breath.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", Kagome screamed as she pounded his chest, "DO NOT LEAVE ME! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!", she cried out.

Takeshi turned around at his words. Did he just say _Kagome_? He looked at the woman. This couldn't be his mother, Kagome. This girl was a dog demon hamyou. But, Kagome is not a common name. Could it be?

"Good. The regal prince is dead and I am the rightful leader! Give me the Tenseiga, whore!", he commanded Kagome.

Takeshi stopped him, "He renounced you as his son. You have no rightful claim here. Who is Isamu?", Takeshi turned around and looked,

"I am.", said a handsome young man.

"You! You are the rightful leader. Hail to Isamu!", Takeshi called out. The western wolves joined in, "Hail to Isamu." Reaching down, Takeshi said, "Excuse me, my Lady. I believe this belongs to your son.", as he removed the Tenseiga from Sesshoumaru's hip and took it over to Isamu, "Here. This now belongs to you, by the order of your father!"

"NOOO! It belongs to me, Dammit!", said Kazuhiko.

Takeshi turned and faced Kazuhiko, "I will take you on, demon. Face to face. I do not attack my opponents in the back like a coward. Get your sword and fight me like a man!"

"I don't waste my time with half-breeds, you vermin! Get out of my land!", said Kazuhiko.

Takeshi and the wolves surrounded Kazuhiko. Eventually, Kagome stood up and faced her stepson,

"I don't want my son to reign as leader. Not yet. But, I do not recognize you as Sesshoumaru's son. I will not protect you from a fight."

These simple words held much meaning. The wolves still recognized her has Lady of the lands, especially since she was the mother of the leader they hailed. Her words meant that Kazuhiko held no standing and could be attacked. Takeshi smiled and stepped forward as another wolf gave Kazuhiko his sword,

"I will give you first shot at me ... go ahead.", Takeshi said, holding his arms out to both sides.

Kazuhiko took the chance and charged. His inexperience was evident. Takeshi merely hopped out of the way, swung his sword and inbedded it inside Kazuhiko's body. Takeshi hoped for a drawn out death like the boy had done to his father, but it was not to be. Kazuhiko died almost instantly.

"My Lady .. I am sorry you had to witness that.", Takeshi said, bowing to her.

"You are quite the gentleman for a wolf. I've never known of such a polite demon.", said Kagome.

"If I may, I have a question for you, my lady.", Takeshi started.

"Actually, I have a question for you as well.", said Kagome.

"Well, then, my Lady, you first."

"What is your name? You look like someone I used to know.", asked Kagome.

"I go by the name Takeshi, my Lady. The son of Kouga, the wolf prince."

Kagome gasped as her hands covered her mouth, "GREAT KAMI!", she screamed, as tears fell from her eyes, "My name is Kagome. I am your mother!", she cried. In one day, she had lost her mate and discovered her first son. If one can be extremely sad and elated at the same time, Kagome was!

"My Lady, I heard the dog demon call you that. But, I am confused. You are a half-demon, are you not? My mother was human."

"My son, Takeshi, please return with us to the castle, where I will explain everything and answer any questions you may have. And you can fill me in on your life as well.", Kagome said, overjoyed at the idea that her son was alive. She would grieve for Sesshoumaru but, right now she needed to get to know her long-lost son.


	28. Getting to Know You

Chapter 28

Getting to Know You

Kagome didn't know how to react. Her mate had just died at the hands of his son, who was then killed by a half-demon that turned out to be HER son that she had lost years ago. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She couldn't believe how the Fates were working her life at the moment.

She gazed at her son lovingly. He was the spitting image of Kouga, except his eyes were brown, not blue. Handsome, tall, confident. Whoever had raised him had done a remarkable job,

"Takeshi, who were you raised by, may I ask?", said Kagome?

"I was raised by a female wolf named Ayame.", he answered.

"Ayame? She was supposed to be Kouga's mate."

"I know. Can I ask, how did you end up in a battle between a half-demon and my father?"

"Well, I travelled with Inuyasha for a while and when we met Kouga, well, Kouga claimed to be in love with me. Inuyasha never said those words, but he protected me. It all came to a head when Kouga kidnapped me and forced me to be his mate. I was in love with Inuyasha so Inuyasha fought for me and won.", said Kagome, "At least that's the short story of it."

"I didn't know.", said Takeshi softly, "So you didn't love my father?"

"No. I'm sorry you have to hear that, but it's true. I was in love with Inuyasha, not Kouga.", said Kagome.

"I'm sorry for what my father did to you.", said Takeshi.

Kagome hugged her son, "Don't be. If it wasn't for what Kouga did, I wouldn't have you. I love you Takeshi. I always have. I have never stopped wondering about you. If you were alive, if you were alright, if you were safe, warm, fed. I may have had four more children since you, but you were still my first and I will always be grateful for that."

Takeshi replied with tears in his eyes, "I'm glad you had me, mother. I've heard of how other half-demons are killed at birth or even before birth. Thank you for giving me life."

Kagome couldn't help but start crying, "Your welcome, my son."

Takeshi continued, "By the way, you're a grandmother!"

"HUH?", asked a surprised Kagome.

"I mated with a beautiful half-demon wolf named Manami and we had twin pups, Takeo and Takehiko.", said Takeshi excitedly.

"How wonderful! I am so glad you found a mate! I can't wait to see my grandsons!", Kagome clapped her hands in excitement.

"Maybe we can leave in the next few days. I'll take you to my den and you can meet everybody. Please say yes, mother!", pleaded her son.

"Of course! Of course! I'll get my pups ready and we can leave and visit your mate and family. I can't wait to meet them!"said Kagome, still overly exuberiant.

The next few days Kagome spent preparing for the trip. They buried Sesshoumaru's and Kazuhiko's bodies. Jaken was beside himself over the death of his master,

"He ordered me to stay inside and watch Kazuhiko and I failed! And now my Master is dead!", wailed the imp over and over.

Sesshoumaru's mother allowed Jaken to stay on to assist around the castle. Rin also took Sesshoumaru's death equally hard but, she now had a mate and a son to keep her occupied. Kagome, when she had time, would go out to the garden where she and Sesshoumaru would sit and gaze at the moon and stars or play with the pups. She allowed herself time to mourn but would reason with herself that at least she had the pups, a part of him, with her always.

Kagome, Takeshi, Eiji, Isamu, Akemi, Yoshiro and Ume set off to the eastern lands. During their travels, Kagome told Takeshi anecdotes about his childhood. Kagome also came to realize that Takeshi was a great father with the way he kept his half-siblings entertained as they walked. He would twirl Ume, toss Yoshiro in the air, do pretend battles with Isame and Eiji, and pick flowers or make daisy chains with Akemi. Kagome watched proudly as her children bonded.

Arriving at the Takeshi's den, Takeshi excitedly introduced Kagome and the pups to every wolf around. Making his way into his den, he was greeted enthusiastically by his mate and pups. Introducing everybody, it didn't take long until everyone was sitting around and chatting like old friends.

Manami enjoyed hearing anecdotes about Takeshi's childhood and began to realize why her pups did things she found strange,

"So, Takeshi used to do that too?", she'd comment.

Manami also eagerly took Kagome's advice about raising pups and handling a mate. Takeshi would lower his ears and comment,

"MOTHER ... maybe this wasn't such a good idea, bringing my mate and mother together.", he'd groan as his mate and mother laughed at his predicament.

Days would pass as the family got to know each other. One night, Takeshi found his mother sitting on the edge of the den, looking to the stars. It was a moonless night,

"Mother? Is something wrong?", he asked her.

"No, sweetheart. I was just thinking. Reminiscing.", she said.

"About Sesshoumaru?", he asked.

"Yea. And also about Inuyasha. He would so want to see you again. I'm sorry he's not alive to see you.", she said.

"Huh? But, he is alive. At least, sort of ...", Takeshi said.

"WHAT? What do you mean, Takeshi?"

"He's bound to the sacred tree in Edo. Didn't you know?"

"NO! Sesshoumaru told me he was dead. That the priestess Kikyou had take him to Hell with her. How do you know this?", she asked.

"I was looking for him to learn more about you. A demon sent me to Shippou and Hachi. Every time you mentioned Shippou I meant to tell you that I had met him and then we'd jump to another subject and I'd get sidetracked. But, anyway, Shippou took me to Edo and to the sacred tree. The monk Miroku many years ago built a building around the tree and it became a shrine. His descendants watch over it now. The legend says that the priestess Kikyou sealed him there.", said Takeshi.

Kagome just stared at Takeshi, "I wish you had said something, Takeshi.", she said quietly.

"I'm sorry. I thought since you were mated to Sesshoumaru that you knew since they were brothers. I assumed that Sesshoumaru wouldn't let you go to the shrine for fear that you would free Inuyasha and leave him.", said Takeshi.

Kagome thought back. Is that why Sesshoumaru refused to let her leave the castle grounds without him? Did he lie to her all this time? Did he know? He had to have known. The forest grapevine held no secrets.

"Takeshi, I want to go to Edo. I want to see Shippou and Hachi and Miroku's kin. And I want to see Inuyasha. I freed him once before, maybe I can free him again. I want to try.", said Kagome.

"Of course mother. When do you want to set out?", asked Takeshi.

"Day after tomorrow we'll set out. At dawn.", said Kagome.

"Sure thing. I hope you can free him, mother. I want to see you happy.", Takeshi said, as he kissed her.

Kagome's mind wandered, '_Inuyasha. You're still in this world. Will you be happy to see me?'_


	29. Inuyasha

Chapter 29

Inuyasha

As planned, the group set out from the wolves ' lair at dawn that morning. Takeshi led the way because in the course of over 100 years, the area had changed quite a bit. More villages surrounded the once lonely dirt roads. This was welcomed by the travelers because the pups weren't used to traveling so much and they had ample places to rest and relax or grab a bite to eat.

Kagome noticed how few people even looked at them as they travelled through towns and villages. She recalled how when her group of traveling friends were searching for the shards of the shikon jewel, some villagers couldn't resist making snide remarks about Inuyasha and why a monk and a demon slayer were travelling with a filthy half-demon. Now, Takeshi and her pups didn't even warrant a double take from villagers. She was glad for this but intrigued by the change,

"So, Takeshi, nobody seems to pay attention to you as a half-demon, or even pay attention to me or my children. I know it's been over a century but, I'm surprised how the humans' attitudes have changed.", she commented.

"Yes, there seems to be more half-demons or 1/4 demons around. Townspeople are used to seeing demons around here. The more human friendly demons, such as foxes, raccoons, wolves and dogs are welcomed. The demons that desire to harm humans have been driven out to the outlying lands by the daimyos."

"I see. What about the humanoid demons? Is it the same for them?", she asked.

"Yes. If they are willing to live peacefully beside humans then they are welcomed. Otherwise, the samurai chase them out.", he answered.

"That's good to know. I'm glad the world is changing. Inuyasha will be able to live in this world without ridicule then.", Kagome mused.

'_She really loves him_.', Takeshi thought, '_I hope my mate still feels the same way about me after 100 years_.'

A few days later they arrived in the small meadow that housed Shippou's hut. Takeshi sniffed and could tell that both Hachi and Shippou were inside. He called out,

"Shippou! It's me Takeshi. Come see who I found!"

Shippou poked his head out of the door to his hut. His jaw dropped as he saw the girl standing there,

"Ka ...gome?", he stammered.

"Yes, Shippou, it's me.", she said gleefully, heading towards the kitsune.

He came running out to her, elated at her presence and then he stopped dead,

"What's wrong Shippou?", asked Kagome.

"Wha ...what happened to you Kagome?", he asked hesitantly.

"I'm now a hanyou. That's how I've lived so long.", she answered.

"But, how did that happen?", he asked.

"I'll tell you everything.",she said, "Let's go inside and I'll explain."

Everybody gathered in the small hut and introductions were made. The first words out of Shippou were,

"Sesshoumaru's pups? You mated with Sesshoumaru? Willingly?", he asked, puzzled.

"Well, not at first. But over time I did. I though Inuyasha was dead. And I was alone. I eventually saw a soft side to him and I started to fall in love with him. And it grew from there. If I had know Inuyasha was still alive, I never would have mated with Sesshoumaru.", she said, defending herself, but thought, '_If I hadn't mated with him, I never would have had my children. Then again, maybe I would've had Inuyasha's pups_.'

Shippou still had his doubts, "Kagome, I still can't believe you mated with Inuyasha's brother ... and mortal enemy."

"Shippou ...Inuyasha was always back and forth about Kikyou. He had feelings for me and her. Well, I was the same way. But, I thought Inuyasha was gone forever. And Sesshoumaru was there and he showed me love. And I fell in love with him. Is that so wrong?", she asked.

"No. Not when you put it that way, I guess not. But, where's your mark? Or didn't he mark you?", Shippou asked.

"It's fading. Sesshoumaru is dead at the hand of his elder son by Kagura. His younger son by Kagura is with me now. That's Eiji here.", she said.

The friends chatted on for a while and finally Shippou said,

"Let's go. Let's see if we can revive Inuyasha."

Kagome, Takeshi, Shippou and Hachi headed out. Satsuki, Shippou's mate, had agreed to watch the younger children and the older pups decided to stay behind. The four travelled the short distance to the outskirts of Edo and the thriving town that Kagome remembered being a small, poor, farming village. They passed the enshrined well and walked on towards the sacred tree. Again, they were met by a young Shinto priest,

"Yasuo, nice to see you again.", said Shippou.

"Same here Shippou.", said the priest.

"Kagome, this is Yasuo, Miroku's great-great-great-great grandson.", said Shippou.

"Kagome? Not the Kagome? Kagome Higurashi?", asked Yasuo.

Kagome blushed, "The very same.", she answered.

"I am very honored to meet you. We thought you were dead, but, somehow you are now a half-demon. This is wonderful news. Maybe Inuyasha can finally be freed from the tree.", Yasuo said.

"That's what I'm here for. I hope to revive him. I'm surprised you're a Shinto priest since Miroku was a Buddhist monk.", said Kagome.

"My family is a combination. Some of us are Buddhist monks while others are Shinto priests and priestesses.", he said.

"Any demon slayers?", asked Kagome.

"Some. But that profession is dying out now that demons are becoming less hostile.", said Yasuo.

"Ok, guys. Let's see if we can wake Inuyasha.", said Shippou as Hachi agreed.

The five of them entered the shrine building. Kagome walked up to Inuyasha's lifeless body and touched his chest gently,

'_Inuyasha_.', she thought to herself.

"So what do you have to do to revive him, Kagome?", asked Takeshi.

"I don't know. The last time he revived I was being chased by Mistress Centipede. I didn't even know I revived him.", she answered.

"Who pulled the arrow out of him the last time?", asked Yasuo.

"I did.", responded Kagome.

"Well, try removing the arrow, Kagome.", said Shippou.

Kagome reached up but couldn't reach the arrow. Takeshi came over and lifted her up. Grabbing a hold of the arrow, she concentrated her spiritual powers into her hand and into the arrow. The arrow began to glow with a bright light. As she did this, she heard Inuyasha's heart start to beat,

"Thump Thump! Thump Thump!"

With a bright pulsating light, the arrow disappeared and Inuyasha began to slump to the ground. Hachi caught him and eased him to a sitting positon. The hanyou's eyes began to open,

"Huh? Where am I?", he said.

"INUYASHA!", squealed Shippou.

"Shippou? Hachi?", he said looking around and his eyes fell on Kagome. Taking in the ears and different eye color, he asked,

"Who are you?"


	30. Fateful Reunion

Chapter 30

Fateful Reunion

Inuyasha stared at the woman and asked again,

"Who are you? You seem so familiar."

"It's me, Inuyasha, Kagome.", she said.

"Kagome? But ... but ...you're a... half-demon.", he stammered out.

"Yes I know. That's how I've lived so long.", she said.

Walking over to her and staring into her eyes, he asked, "How long?"

"Huh?", she replied.

"How long has it been since I've been on the tree?", he asked.

"Over a hundred years.", replied Shippou, who then thought to himself, '_This can't last. They always end up fighting when they get together_.'.

"A hundred years. And you're still here. Oh, Kagome!", Inuyasha said, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly. His thoughts wavered, however, '_This scent? I know this scent. Whose is it?'_

Pulling back, he commented, "The ears are a nice touch.", as he softly touched them and she giggled, "How did you become a half-demon, Kagome?"

Not thinking, Kagome simply responded, "Sesshoumaru."

'_THAT'S THE SCENT_!', his brain screamed as he backed off from her, "Sesshoumaru? What the hell? Why did he turn you into a half-demon? He always complained about me having our father's blood then he turns around and gives some to you to turn into a half-demon? And why the hell is his scent all over you?", he said, raising his voice.

"I don't know his true intentions, at least, I'm not sure. Afterwards, he kept calling me a pathetic half-demon when he would force me to ..."

"He didn't? He forced you into mating him?", asked a shocked Inuyasha, "I didn't even think Sesshoumaru would stoop that low."

"But then he started becoming kinder, gentler,", she said, twisting her hands, "And he asked me to bear him pups and..."

"WHAT? Kagome, you didn't ...tell me you didn't!"

"Inuyasha! I did. I FELL IN LOVE WITH SESSHOUMARU!", she yelled.

Inuyasha stepped back, sweatdropped and left eye-twitching, "YOU WILLINGLY MATED WITH HIM?", he screamed.

"I knew it couldn't last.", said Shippou, with a sigh.

"YES I DID!", she screamed back.

"YOU BETRAYED ME!", screamed Inuyasha.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! HE TOLD ME YOU WERE!", she screamed back.

"AND YOU BELIEVED HIM?"

"I HAD NO REASON TO DOUBT HIM!", Kagome screamed.

"JUST WHO HE IS WAS REASON TO DOUBT HIM!", screamed Inuyasha.

"And what about you? When you were looking for me ...did you ever think to ask him if he had seen me?", countered Kagome.

"I did!", he answered.

"And?", she queried.

"He told me he hadn't seen you!", said Inuyasha.

"AND YOU BELIEVED HIM?", she screamed back.

"That's different.", he countered.

"WHY?", she asked, loudly.

"Because I know him better than you did. I could tell when he was lying!", Inuyasha spat out.

"OH YEA? Well, obviously you couldn't because he WAS lying. He was holding me captive back then!"

"Still ..Kagome ...you mated with him! Willingly!", said Inuyasha.

"And you? Where were you that you ended up getting yourself pinned to this tree again? With Kikyou?", she demanded to know.

"And what if I was?", he countered.

"Back then before you were pinned, I was trapped at Sesshoumaru's castle ...forced to be a slave to him. I didn't become his willing partner until after you were pinned to the tree. So you betrayed ME!", she yelled.

"I didn't know where you were. I was lonely. I thought I lost you. But, I didn't want to go to Hell with Kikyou and so I agreed to stay with her here in the land of the living ...", he said, trying to explain himself.

"And I was alone and thought you were dead. How is that different?", she said, the tears forming.

"It just is. I didn't have any kids with Kikyou. And Kikyou wasn't our arch enemy! Besides, how would Sesshoumaru know whether I was dead or pinned or what?", asked Inuyasha.

"He knew.", said Shippou.

"Huh?", said Kagome and Inuyasha together.

"I saw him here by the tree a number of times shortly after you were first pinned.", said Shippou.

"HMPH!", said Inuyasha, "He lied to you and forced you to mate with him and you STILL fell in love with him! That's depraved, Kagome!"

"Well, if you had marked me in the first place I would have known you were alive!", stated Kagome firmly.

"HUH?", Inuyasha asked, sweatdropping.

"You never marked me! Because of Kikyou, you never gave me your mark. I would have been offlimits to Sesshoumaru as long as you were alive. See? Sesshoumaru's mark is fading ...", she said, pulling down the shoulder of her kimono.

"He's ... dead?", Inuyasha asked, shocked.

"Yes. By the hand of his own son.", she said.

"GOOD! Because if he wasn't, I was going to kill him!", said an incensed Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha.", Kagome said softly, but Inuyasha still wasn't happy with what Kagome did,

"You mated with my brother, bore him kids and now you expect to be welcomed back with open arms? NEVER! GET OUTTA MY FACE, KAGOME!", he screamed at her.

Kagome shook with anger and sadness. Running out of the building, her tears fell quickly. All the others could do was stand there and gape.

"Smooth move, Inuyasha.", commented Shippou.

"SHUT UP, SHIPPOU!", he yelled at the kitsune.

"I can't believe you just said all that to the woman you supposedly loved.", said the wolf-demon hanyou.

"Who the hell are you?", Inuyasha said, thinking, '_This guy looks just like Kouga! But, Kouga's dead ... isn't he_?'

"My name is Takeshi, leader of the wolf-demon tribe. And that was just my mother you treated like dirt!", he said.

'_TAKESHI_?', Inuyasha thought as he stared at the young hanyou.


	31. Facing Facts

Chapter 31

Facing Facts

Inuyasha stood open-mouthed and gazed at the young wolf-demon. Before he had a chance to say anything, the angered Kagome got in the last word,

"SIT BOY!", she screamed from outside the building.

THWUMP!

Inuyasha fell face first onto the ground. Recovering enough to lift his head up, he said,

"Damn this necklace."

"You deserved it.", said Shippou.

Hachi just shook his head and exited the building. Takeshi agreed with Shippou,

"You did deserve it!", he said.

Inuyasha got up and shook off the effects of the subjugation spell. He looked at Takeshi,

"Takeshi. My son, all these years ...", Inuyasha said, a bit misty-eyed, but Takeshi backed away,

"I am Kouga's son, not yours.", he said indignantly.

"I raised you from birth until you were kidnapped! You are my son!", said Inuyasha.

"If that's the way you treat my mother, I refuse to be considered your son.", said Takeshi, walking out of the building.

Inuyasha just stared as Takeshi left. Shippou and Yasuo were the only ones left,

"Inuyasha, this man is Yasuo, the great-great-great-great grandson of Miroku and Sango.", said Shippou, introducing the young priest.

Inuyasha merely nodded his head towards Yasuo and walked out of the building. Shippou looked at Yasuo,

"Don't mind him, he never did care if he made an idiot out of himself in front of people before, why start now?", said Shippou as Yasuo laughed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome saw Hachi leave the shrine and walked up to him,

"Hachi, can I borrow you for a while?", she asked.

"Uh ...sure. What do you want?", he asked.

"Take me back to Shippou's hut so I can collect my pups and then take us to Sesshoumaru's mother's castle in the Western Lands? Please?", she asked.

"Sure, Lady Kagome. Anything for you.", he said as he transformed into his flying self and allowed Kagome to climb on top. After she was settled, they were off.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha looked around. The village was not how he remembered it. Instead, it was busy, noisy and obnoxious. He wanted to escape. To run away. To never look back. He hopped into the tallest branches of the sacred tree, but that wasn't far enough from the crowds of people. Hopping from treetop to treetop, he put distance between him and the growing town until he finally found peace and quiet. Making himself comfortable on a branch, he began to think.

His mind wandered to his past, to the time he was searching for Kagome and Takeshi. Yes, he had believed Sesshoumaru when his brother had said he had not seen her. He thought he had lost Kagome forever. And, like a fool, he wandered back to Kikyou. It had all been too easy. Almost like it had been planned out. Wait! Planned out? No! Kikyou wouldn't have made plans with Sesshoumaru to keep him and Kagome apart, would she? Was that possible?

Inuyasha hopped down from the tree. Sesshoumaru was dead. So were his friends. Whatever became of Kikyou, he wondered. He decided to seek out Shippou and ask him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Takeshi raced through the forest, heading to the southland. He wanted to see his adoptive mother, Ayame. But, mostly, he wanted a word with Ginta and Hakkaku. Arriving to the den of the souther wolf tribe, he was greeted by their leader,

"Takeshi! So good to see you again.", said the older wolf.

Takeshi bowed, "Same here, old friend. Is my mother around?"

"No, she's not. She decided to head up to the mountains to see the northern clan.", the older wolf replied.

Takeshi was disappointed, but asked, "How about Ginta and Hakkaku?"

"Why yes, they are over by the waterfall on guard duty.", replied the wolf.

"Thanks, old friend.", Takeshi said, heading towards the waterfall, '_HMPH! More like snooze duty_!', he thought to himself.

Sure enough he found the two wolves sleeping on the job. Taking the hilt of his sword, he poked each of them in the ribs. When they awoke, he yelled, "BOO!" The two wolves jumped high in the air and grabbed onto each other in fright. Realizing who it was, they started to relax,

"Takeshi! How are you old buddy!", said Ginta.

"Yea, old friend, how are things?", said Hakkaku.

"Don't give me that old buddy/old friend crap. Why didn't you tell me you kidnapped me from my family?", asked an angered hanyou.

"Uh ...well ...you see ...", stammered Ginta.

"Well, because we knew you would be upset.", said Hakkaku, "But we had to do it. Kagome and Inuyasha refused to give you up and you needed to be raised by the wolves so you could take your rightful place as leader!"

"Damn you! Because of you, my family is torn apart. If Inuyasha hadn't been out looking for me, Kagura would never have taken my mother without anyone else knowing. And I wouldn't be in this predicament now!", he yelled at them.

The two demons hung their heads, "We're sorry.", they said collectively.

"That doesn't do me any good now. I just hope I can fix the rift.", he said, "I'm outta here!", he commented as he took off in a burst of speed. He needed to find Inuyasha and try to talk some sense into him before he made a bigger mistake.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuyasha came upon Shippou's hut. Shippou had returned a short time before Inuyasha showed up, who announced his presence in a typical Inuyasha way,

"Hey runt! You in there?", Inuyasha called out.

"Geez, Inuyasha. Whaddya want?", Shippou asked, coming out of his hut.

"I need to know something. Were you there when I was pinned this last time?", Inuyasha asked.

"Yea. Why?", asked Shippou.

"What happened to Kikyou?", asked Inuyasha.

"Not that you should care, but Kaede killed her with an arrow.", said Shippou.

"Kaede?", Inuyasha whispered.

"Yea.", answered Shippou, "Inuyasha, go to Kagome. You're both alone now. You need each other."

"HMPH! I don't need anybody!", huffed the hanyou.

"You do too.", said Shippou, "And you know you do. Just like I know you need her. Not stop being an idiot and go and find her."

"I agree!", came a male voice.

Shippou and Inuyasha turned around and saw Takeshi standing there, breathing hard,

"You shouldn't hold anything against my mother. You did basically the same thing. Go see her. Get to know her again. You both deserve to be happy.", said Takeshi.

Inuyasha looked from Shippou to Takeshi, "Where did she go?", he asked quietly.

"Probably back to Sesshoumaru's castle.", answered Takeshi.

Inuyasha looked towards the west. A part of him wanted to go and a part of him was too angry to go. Takeshi broke into his thoughts,

"Grow up and face the facts. What's done is done. The past is the past. Put it behind you and move on. Please, Papa. For my sake. And yours.", Takeshi said.

Inuyasha looked at him, "What did you just say?"

"I said papa."

Inuyasha's eyes started to mist. Walking over to Takeshi, he threw his arms around him and hugged him tight as Takeshi hugged him back,

"My son.", Inuyasha started, "I will. I will go see Kagome."


	32. A Heartfelt Talk

Chapter 32

A Heartfelt Talk

Inuyasha and Takeshi walked casually as they headed to the western lands. Takeshi felt this was a good time to talk, while Inuyasha felt it was good to let Kagome calm down before he approached her again. The two men chatted amicably for a while, Inuyasha being surprised that Takeshi had no trouble getting a mate or bearing pups. Takeshi then decided to broach a deeper subject,

"Papa?", he queried.

"Hmmmm?"

"Why didn't you mark mama? Why did your old lover keep you from marking mama?", he asked.

"It's difficult to explain.", said Inuyasha.

"Try me.", said Takeshi.

Inuyasha just stared straight ahead. How could he explain this to someone when he didn't even fully understand it?

"Papa?", Takeshi broke into his thoughts.

"I had promised Kikyou I would go to Hell with her. I thought I owed it to her because she died coming after me."

"So why did you mate with mama?"

"It just happened one day. I dunno.", said Inuyasha, quietly.

"Do you love her?"

Inuyasha thought about this. Kagome had been everything to him, friend, confidante, lover, and almost a mate (if he had marked her). "Yes. I did love her. I guess I still do."

"You guess? How can you guess at your feelings?", asked Takeshi, puzzled, "I love my mate with every ounce of my being, every piece of my heart. How can you guess you love somebody?"

"I'm confused right now. I ... I..oh hell... yes, I love her!"

"You need to apologize to mama."

"For what? She should be apologizing to me!"

"You both went to someone else. Neither of you can deny that. And you both drifted to someone else because you each thought the other was dead. Instead of blaming her, blame yourself. Like she said, if you had marked her, none of this would have happened!", Takeshi said forcefully.

Inuyasha dropped his head and drooped his ears. Takeshi was right. If he had just given up on Kikyou, none of this would have happened. But, still, one thing bothered him,

"Why Sesshoumaru of all people?", he spoke out loud.

"Because he was there and offered her something she longed for.", said Takeshi, quietly.

"Hmhmmmmm.", Inuyasha groaned softly.

It took a while, but the men arrived at the castle of Sesshoumaru's mother. The guard allowed them in, knowing who they both were. Jaken greeted them,

"What are you doing here, you wretch? Because of you, Lady Kagome has been extremely sad since she returned."

"Jaken! Shut up!", said Inuyasha, "Where is Kagome?"

"Why should I tell you?". Jaken said with attitude.

Inuyasha picked Jaken up by the head and said,

"Because if you don't I'm going to slice you up and eat you, that's why."

Jaken shook and said, "She's in the garden."

Takeshi looked at Inuyasha, "I'll leave you two alone now to talk. Try not to get angry again, Papa. I'd hate to see her use that 'Sit' command again!", he said, laughing and walking away.

Inuyasha walked through the rooms, following the scent of flowers. Exiting through a trellis, he saw Kagome sitting by a group of daisies playing with a toddler girl, while a young boy sat on the ground beside her feet playing with a ball,

"Kagome.", he said softly.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, even though she didn't need to. She could tell by his scent that he was in the castle,

"What do you want?", her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Inuyasha gulped hard. He hated seeing her cry, especially when he was the cause of it.

"Uhhhm, can we talk?", he asked.

"Sure.", she said, moving over to make room for him on the bench.

Inuyasha sat down and the little girl looked up at him and smiled. She was a beauty. Silvery-white, curly locks, golden eyes, dimpled cheeks and a pudgy body. Inuyasha smiled back and said a soft, "Hi there."

"This is Ume.", Kagome told him, "and that is Yoshiro.", she said pointing to the little boy, who didn't pay attention to his name being called.

"Cute pups.", he said.

"There are three more inside, but one boy, Eiji, is my adoptive son. He was birthed by Kagura. The other two are Isamu and Akemi."

"You must be very proud of them.", said Inuyasha, quietly.

"I am.", replied Kagome, just as quietly, "So what did you want to talk about? Certainly not my pups."

"No. I wanted to say I'm sorry for my words the other day."

Kagome just stared. Inuyasha was apologizing? "What brought you here to apologize?"

"I've thought alot about what was said and I know alot of it was said in anger. We both screwed up. I dunno, maybe Sesshoumaru and Kikyou planned this whole elaborate scheme out to keep us apart. I was shocked to know you mated with Sesshoumaru, especially if he treated you like a slave at first. I ...I don't think I'll understand but, it's the past and I can't worry about the past.", said Inuyasha.

"So, what are you saying, Inuyasha?", asked Kagome.

"I'm saying that I want you in my life. As my lifemate.", said Inuyasha.

"Can you raise pups that aren't yours?", asked Kagome.

"I was raising Takeshi, wasn't I?", he answered back.

"But these are your brother's pups.", she pointed out.

"They're your pups, Kagome. That's all that matters to me.", said Inuyasha, looking deep into her eyes.

Yoshiro had been paying some attention to what was being said, because right then, he piped up, "So, are you gonna be our papa?"

Inuyasha smiled and picked up the boy and said, "I will if you'll have me."

Yoshiro threw his arms around Inuyasha's neck and squeezed, "Yesth.", he said.

As soon as Inuyasha could untangle Yoshiro from his body and Kagome put Ume down, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and held her tight. Kagome started crying tears of happiness at the thought that she was back with the one man she truly loved and desired. As they pulled apart, they picked up the two pups and headed into the castle to tell everyone the good news.

_Next - the Epilogue_


	33. Ep Never Gonna Let You Go

Chapter 33

Epilogue

Never Gonna Let You Go

The sun broke through the trees signaling the start of a new day. It was late spring and the sakura blossoms were flying through the air and covering the ground as thick as snow.

In the eastern wolf den, wolves yawned and stretched as they prepared to rest after a fruitful night of feeding. Since the death of Sesshoumaru, many of the peaceful western wolves had joined the eastern den for protection, leaving behind the lesser demon wolves and their followers who were simply wolf. The lesser demons posed no real threat to the humans and were left alone as they desired.

One female half-demon wolf lay in her den nursing her newborn female pup, Amaya, meaning 'night rain', since she was born overnight during a light rainstorm. Her brothers, Takeo and Takehiko, now almost 10, fawned over their baby sister, anxious to hold the little bundle. Her father, Takeshi, had left with the morning light to go and tell his parents of the new arrival.

The small village near the wolf den was home to a few demons. Hachi had decided to settle here with his mate, Fumiko, a sweet raccoon-dog demoness. Two months before, she had birthed their first child, a daughter named Hana. Another resident, Shippou, and his human mate Satsuki also saw the birth of another child, their sixth, a son named Saburo. He joined five other fox kits, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, brother Shinji, and sister Aki. Rin and her mate, wolf demon, Toru, also live here, with their son, Nao and daughter, Sayuri.

Off to the far side of the village, under a huge maple tree and next to a trickling stream and waterfall, sat a larger house. Inside that house lived Inuyasha and Kagome. The couple decided to move here for the peace and quiet. Sesshoumaru's mother had told Inuyasha that, since Isamu wasn't old enough to accept responsibility as Leader of the Western Lands, he should take the position until Isamu was old enough. Inuyasha politely (well, maybe not so politely) turned her down, saying he didn't desire that kind of power. Packing up Kagome and the pups, they found some land unoccupied by humans near the wolf tribe and began to build. The other demons followed, each longing to stay away from the huge influx of humans.

In the 8 years since they were reunited, the couple had managed to create stable, and even sometimes harmonious, family unit. The older children had accepted Inuyasha as their new father, but not without some rocky roads. Eiji wasn't a bother, being a quiet, artistic child but Akemi and Isamu were another story. Whenever Inuyasha would sit or lay down to relax, Akemi was right there brushing or braiding his hair with ribbons and flowers, the way her mother did hers. In the beginning, this bothered Inuyasha and he would get irritated, which would make the young girl cry. Unable to stand her tears, he finally relented and now it was a daily ritual.

Isamu, on the other hand, was a first class pain in Inuyasha's proverbial ass in the beginning. Aware of his mother's ability to "control" Inuyasha, he would irritate his new father to no end until Inuyasha ended up bopping him a blow across the head. He would then scream for his mother who would order a SIT command that was promptly delivered. This happened until she witnessed Isamu pestering Inuyasha one day. That night, she made a subjugation necklace for Isamu, using the word "STAY" as his trigger. Placing it on hims while he slept, he was none to happy to see it the next morning. A few well deserved "STAY"'s later and Isamu was under control as well.

Isamu did have his good side, and he and Yoshiro loved nothing better than to learn fighting moves from their mother and Inuyasha. Inuyasha had to admit, he was impressed with Kagome's fighting abilities, and would comment that "at least Sesshoumaru did something right" while he held Kagome captive.

The easiest child was Ume, who, too young to remember her birth father, accepted Inuyasha from the start as her 'papa'. Although Kagome would teach her the ways of a feudal girl, it was Inuyasha she adored and would try to emulate, even going as far as carrying around the Tessaiga and yelling out "WIND SCAR!". Whenever he was near, she wanted to be held by him or cuddle with him. As Kagome taught her to read and write, she practiced by reading stories to her father.

Inuyasha did his best to be a decent and loving father but, his temper was still something to contend with. Whenever he was in a grouchy mood, the pups stayed away and left him be. Except for Ume, who never feared his anger and would giggle in delight at his growls and barks. When he was up in the maple tree, a sign that he wanted to be alone, Ume was the only child who could bother him. It wasn't so much that he played favorites but, because she refused to listen and, as soon as she was physically able, would hop into the tree and join him.

That spring, they not only awaited news of their newest grandchild, but they also awaited the birth of their first child together. They had been unsure of whether Inuyasha could produce or not, but Takeshi and Manami's ability to breed gave them hope. They waited until the family was comfortably situated, about 5 years, before they tried. Kagome became pregnant quickly, but in the 5th month, she miscarried. It was nearly two years before she felt ready to try again. Again, she became pregnant quickly and everyone held their collective breaths. The months seem to move slowly until she finally made it to her 8th month. Now there, she knew she could give birth at anytime. The waiting had truly begun.

Takeshi burst through the door, excitedly screaming,

"It's a girl! We have a little girl!"

The pups cheered and Kagome hugged her son with tears in her eyes as Inuyasha congratulated the new papa. Kagome bemoaned the fact that she couldn't see her new granddaughter right away because of her impending birth. The house was abuzz with excitement as Takeshi described his new child, when she was born, and her name. Takeshi stayed and talked for a while, but left in the early afternoon, anxious to get home to his newborn daughter.

The pups busily worked on their chores, wanting to finish before dinner time. Dinner time and afterwards was a big deal in the half-dog house. Akemi was in charge of cooking now, and all the pups contributed something to the meal. Akemi, creative in her cooking, would take what ingredients her brothers and sister brought in and would put something together. She kept the recipe she made, for if the food was a hit, it was definately a keeper for a future meal. Usually her food did make a good impression, except for the times she would use too much spice, sending Inuyasha howling off to drink a load of water. After dinner, it was family time, as they played games, read books aloud, sang, or told stories until bedtime. In the waning hours of daylight during the summer months, the pups chased fireflies and played a game their mother had taught them called "Tag".

A week had passed since the birth of their granddaughter when Kagome started feeling labor pains. Inuyasha was planning to run and get one of the wolf mid-wives when Kagome told him not to bother,

"Akemi and Ume will assist me. My labor doesn't last long anymore.", she told the worried hanyou.

Sure enough, less than half a day after her labor started, her waters burst and the baby was born within moments. Ume dried off the baby, while Akemi cut the cord and handed the newborn bundle to her mother. A practiced mom, she immediately put the babe to her breast for a feeding, which the baby eagerly took. As she cooed over her newborn bundle, Akemi and Ume went out to tell Inuyasha,

"Congratulations Papa! It's a boy!", they chorused together.

Inuyasha hugged his girls and went in to see his mate. Walking in, he admired the picture in front of him. Kagome, with her kimono wrapped loosely around her, her demon mark clearly visable, nursing the swaddled baby. He smiled at the sight. What he had wanted for so long had finally happened. He had a child of his own. He loved the other pups dearly and treated them as his own flesh and blood, the uncertainty of whether he could actually produce a child was now gone. When Kagome had miscarried, he blamed himself, figuring it was his half-demon status that had doomed the child. They had named the child, a girl, Suzume, which meant 'Sparrow', because they felt her spirit had flown away to be in heaven. She was buried not far from the family home and Inuyasha visited her grave quite often, apologizing to her for 'cursing' her with his blood.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. Was that a tear she saw in the corner of his eye?

"Inuyasha?", she said, breaking into his thoughts.

He looked at her and she held out her hand for him to come to her. Taking her hand, he sat down beside her and snuggled close to her, his face buried in her hair, inhaling her scent and the scent of his newborn son,

"What were you thinking, Inuyasha?", she asked.

"Lots of things. Suzume. The other pups. Our grandchildren. How lucky I am.", he said, quietly.

"We've been through alot, haven't we?", Kagome pondered.

"Yes, we have.", Inuyasha replied.

"There's a saying, it goes, 'If you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it's yours, if it doesn't it never was'.", said Kagome.

"I like that saying. So I guess we belong to each other forever now, right?", Inuyasha mused, as he touched the baby's head.

"Yup. We came back to each other. That's all that matters.", said Kagome, leaning into Inuyasha and sniffing his fragrance.

Inuyasha hugged his mated, kissed her her neck, and said, "And I'm never gonna let you go."


End file.
